Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg drops assault charge against influencer accused in NYPD snowball fight
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office has dropped assault charges against a New York City influencer who was accused of hurling snowballs at the NYPD.
Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, was arrested yesterday at his home in The Bronx in connection with the now-infamous snowball fight that unfolded earlier this week.
The fight took place in the city’s Washington Square Park, with videos of the incident quickly spreading across social media. In the footage, New Yorkers can be seen pelting police officers with snowballs and larger chunks of snow after officers were drafted in to control crowds.
However, in court, prosecutors said that they were unable to prove that Coulibaly had caused an officer to sustain a physical injury, leading to the assault charge being dropped.
Prosecutors did maintain, though, that Officer Nicholas Johnson had developed redness in his eye and pain in his head and neck from the snowball fight, according to The Associated Press.
Now, Coulibaly faces a misdemeanor charge of obstructing government administration, as well as a harassment violation. According to the NYPD, he had already been arrested less than three weeks ago in connection with an unrelated “attempted robbery in the transit system.”
The snowball fight in Greenwich Village has caused an early headache for New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, though.
Following Coulibaly’s release, Mayor Mamdani’s spokesperson, Dora Pekec, agreed that the influencer should not face criminal charges.
“As the mayor has said, police officers deserve to be treated with respect,” Pekec told reporters at The New York Times. “The videos he saw showed a snowball fight that got out of hand.
“He does not believe this situation rises to the level of criminal charges.”
On the other hand, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the events at the snowball fight as “criminal” and “disgraceful” in a social media statement.
Tisch has been supported by police unions, with several uniformed officers even sitting in on Coulibaly’s arraignment last night, according to The Gothamist.
“This was a blatant attack on the uniform that they wear so proudly every day,” Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry told reporters last night, referring to Coulibaly.
Coulibaly’s attorney, George Vomvolakis, rejected that characterization.
“It didn’t look like an attack to me,” he replied, according to The Gothamist.
Mamdani also downplayed the severity of the snowball fight, which had been organized by social media content creators.
“From the videos that I’ve seen, it looked like kids at a snowball fight,” he told reporters earlier this week.
Police are still searching for three other people in connection with the incident.
Coulibaly, an influencer who posts under the moniker Diaper Man, is currently on supervised release with his next court appearance set for April 9.
His attorney, Vomvolakis, said that the content creator is known for making “elaborate videos.”
One such video showed him approaching a stranger on a Bronx subway and asking for money, while acting as if they had met before.
That was the incident that led to Coulibaly’s previous arrest, which also landed him with a charge of attempted robbery. Vomvolakis told reporters, though, that he feels confident that this charge will be dismissed.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
