Chaos erupted in lower Manhattan Friday when thousands of people converged for a social media star’s impromptu giveaway of video games, leading to dozens of arrests and multiple people injured, Fox 5 reports.
Kai Cenat, an influencer and streamer who has more than 20 million followers, had announced earlier in the day plans to hand out video games and PlayStation consoles.
The gathering drew masses of young fans who suddenly gathered in Union Square Park, requiring authorities to shut down streets and re-route subway lines, according to NBC New York.
Violent behavior arose amid the pandemonium, prompting officers to arrest at least 65 people, 30 of whom were minors.
“Individuals in the park began to commit acts of violence towards the police and the public,” NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey told reporters at a press conference on Friday, according to Fox 5.
Multiple people were injured in the fracas, including three police officers and four civilians.
“I personally observed young people walking out with their heads, bleeding from their heads, bleeding from on their faces. I personally observed young people having panic attacks, anxiety attacks, asthma attacks,” Maddrey said, according to Fox 5.
“People were suffering out here. It was a lot of people, it was uncontrolled, it took us a while to get it under control, and a lot of young people got hurt.”
Cenat arrived at the park shortly after 2 p.m. in an SUV. Aerial footage showed fans surrounding the vehicle, clinging to it and hanging from the side.
While at the event, Cenat went live on Twitch, at times urging everyone to disperse.
Authorities allege that some fans who attended the gathering broke into nearby construction sites and stole equipment; some of these individuals allegedly threw rocks at officers.
“We have encountered things like this before, but never to this level of dangerousness where young people would not listen to our commands,” Maddrey said, according to Fox 5. “They were fighting each other, they were hurting each other, they were turning our attacks on us. We had to defend ourselves and we had to make arrests.
“This speaks to the power of social media and to the danger of social media. We’re not against people having a good time, we’re not against young people gathering. But it can’t be to this level where it’s dangerous. A lot of people got hurt today.”
Upon declaring the gathering an unlawful assembly, Cenat was detained by police around 5 p.m. and was expected to be charged with inciting a riot and unlawful assembly.
It was not immediately clear whether that has happened. The New York Post reported that police on Friday night issued Cenat a desk appearance ticket.
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[Feature Photo: Kai Cenat/Twitter]
