Second person arrested in snowball fight incident with NYPD at Washington Square Park
A second person has been arrested after multiple NYPD officers were pelted with snowballs in Washington Square Park.
Eric Wilson Jr., 18, was taken into custody just after 9 a.m. Wednesday. He is charged with obstruction of governmental administration and harassment.
No major injuries were reported after the snowball fight on Feb. 23, but police said two officers took themselves to the hospital. The Police Benevolent Association said they are on leave as they recover.
The NYPD previously released images of four people they were looking for.
Police arrest a 27-year-old man
Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, was arrested Thursday morning and initially charged with assault on a police officer, a felony, and obstruction of government administration and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors.
The felony charge was dismissed after a judge said there was no proof the officers' injuries were directly caused by Coulibaly.
Patrick Hendry, president of the PBA, said the snow being thrown around had ice and rocks in it.
Coulibaly's attorney denied the claim.
"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."
Vomvolakis said the incident was disrespectful, but it is a politicized case.
Mayor Mamdani says there shouldn't be charges
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has previously said there shouldn't be charges for the people involved.
"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.
On the other hand, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch thinks participants should be punished for their actions.
"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."
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also said criminal charges were appropriate.
