1 arrested after NYPD officers were pelted with snowballs in Washington Square Park

A man was arrested after multiple NYPD officers were hit with snowballs Monday in Washington Square Park.

Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, was taken into custody Thursday morning, according to officials. Police also said he was previously arrested less than three weeks ago for an attempted robbery in the transit system.

Coulibaly was initially charged with assault on a police officer, a felony, and obstruction of government administration and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors.

The district attorney later declined to bring the felony charge against Coulibaly, saying after a review of the evidence, there is no proof the officers' injuries were directly caused by the suspect.

Coulibaly was given supervised release.

Snowball suspect appears in court

Coulibaly is the first to be charged in connection to a social media-organized snowball fight that took a chaotic turn. Prosecutors said officers responded to the park following a 911 call for people climbing on a roof.

Video shows snowballs being lodged at police officers, and at one point, officers push people to the ground.

Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, claims it was more than just snow being tossed.

"They came after these police officers, pelted them with ice, rocks. The ice was packed with rocks," he said.

Coulibaly's attorney denies the claims.

"This is the first I'm hearing of rocks in the snow. I don't know where you got that from," attorney George Vomvolakis said. "There is nothing in the criminal complaint that says that."

He went on to call the charges brought against his client "selective prosecution" and called it a politicized case, but admitted in court that the incident was disrespectful.

"At worst, this could be a summonable offense, which is harassment, disorderly conduct. That is a possibility," Vomvolakis said. "But again, I have not seen the proof. That's going to come with the discovery phase of the case."

Hendry was at the hearing and said the union was frustrated with the outcome.

"We saw a 27-year-old adult, so the notion that this was a playful snowball fight obviously is not true," he said. "The video is clear, clear as day, actually, that this individual threw a snowball packed with ice, blasted our police officer in the face."

The NYPD released images of four people they were looking for, saying they range in age from 18 to 20. Sources tell CBS News New York the NYPD is going full speed ahead in the search for the other three people it's seeking.

Disagreement highlights rift between Mamdani, Tisch  

The incident has since sparked controversy over whether the people involved should face charges. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch is on one side of the issue, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is on the other.

Mamdani previously described the snowball fight participants as "kids," but police said Coulibaly is 27. Still, a spokesperson for Mamdani said Thursday the mayor maintains there shouldn't be charges in this case. 

"As the mayor has said, police officers deserve to be treated with respect. 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," the spokesperson said.

Tisch said the people involved should be charged.

"I want to be very clear," Tisch wrote on social media. "The behavior depicted is disgraceful, and it is criminal. Our detectives are investigating this matter."

Law enforcement expert Richard Esposito said snowball-gate highlights disagreements between Mamdani and Tisch. 

"This is certainly a gulf between the two of them. Now, I was talking to a detective last night, and I said, what would you have done? He said, 'Well, what would I have done? The kid would have put his hand out. I would have a cuff on his. If I'm going to get hit with a snowball, one of you is coming with me," Esposito said. "Is it as criminal as [Tisch] made it? She probably overstated. But you know what? It's also saying, you're my department, I support you."

Differing responses to the incident

Gov. Kathy Hochul, meanwhile, said it was appropriate to file criminal charges. 

"Our police officers put themselves in harm's way every single day, and there is no circumstance where it's OK to throw anything at a police officer, so that is appropriate," Hochul said. "If someone was assaulted then an arrest is appropriate, and they would have the information. Clearly, the commissioner of police has done the investigation. It's not for me to second-guess what police investigations reveal."

Hendry said his members are very upset with the mayor's response. 

"They're disappointed. I'm disappointed," Hendry said. "This was an attack on our police officers, and he's not coming out for the third day." 

"You cannot allow our police officers to be a target on the streets and that's what he's sending a message," Hendry added. "He's sending a message that it's OK. He needs to condemn this now."

No major injuries were reported, but police said two officers took themselves to the hospital for treatment. The PBA says they are on leave as they recover.

Hendry said the NYPD has more work to do to make sure everyone who participated in the attack is held accountable.