By Thomas Tracy and Kerry Burke
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — A suspect arrested for felony assault after injuring cops responding to a giant snowball fight in Washington Square Park had his charges downgraded to misdemeanors by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, infuriating police.
Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, was nabbed by police early Thursday after he was identified as one of four men shown in social media video throwing snowballs at police responding to the disorderly crowd in the Greenwich Village park.
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“[He] was arrested for assaulting our officers,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced on X. “Mr. Coulibaly was previously arrested less than three weeks ago for an attempted robbery in the transit system.”
Cops charged Coulibaly with assault on a police officer, obstructing government administration and disorderly conduct, but the DA’s office ultimately chose to charge him with harassment and obstruction of government administration — both misdemeanor offences.
“This defendant is captured on video during a snowball fight,” and it appears to hit one of the responding officers on the left side of his face, near his eye, said Assistant District Attorney Vicki Notaro at Coulibaly’s arraignment on Thursday. “The people are unable to prove that Officer Johnson suffered the injuries caused directly by this defendant’s conduct.”
Coulibaly was granted supervised release at his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday.
“I understand the circumstances surrounding his arrest here have been politicized,” Coulibaly’s attorney, George Vomvolakis, told the judge during his client’s arraignment. “Throwing snowballs at the police could be seen as disrespectful, but he’s being charged with obstructing governmental administration. I submit that my client had no idea what their duty was that day. So how could you intend to subvert what they were trying to do at the end of the day?”
Roughly two dozen uniformed police officers filled five rows of the gallery at Coulibaly’s arraignment in support of the officers injured in the snowball attack, including Officer Johnson, who Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry said has gone on sick leave due to his injuries.
“We’re grateful that there were some charges, but we need to ask the question, because the video is clear, clear as day, actually, that this individual threw a snowball packed with ice blasted a police officer in the face,” said Hendry. “Why do they feel that that didn’t cause an injury to our police officer, which he clearly, clearly has an injury below his eye, the same eye that they talked about. Why is this being downplayed right now?”
Coulibaly was allegedly recorded hitting a cop in the face with a snowball during the Monday afternoon incident near the park’s comfort stations.
Several people hit a group of police officers with snowballs. As a result, two officers were treated at a local hospital for bruises, cuts to their face and complaints of head and neck pain.
Cops on Tuesday released images of Coulibaly holding a small boulder of snow with two hands during the snowball fight and asked the public for help identifying him.
Coulibaly is a social media content creator who records videos of himself throughout the city pretending to be “the most disrespectful homeless man” and other pranks.
Members of the NYPD warrants squad grabbed him at 5 a.m. Thursday inside an apartment in the Highbridge section of the Bronx. He lives about two blocks from where he was caught, according to police.
Three other young men are still being sought for pelting two officers with snowballs during the 4 p.m. incident Monday. The snowball fight was organized on social media in the aftermath of the historic blizzard that blew into town Sunday.
The police response drove a wedge between Mayor Mamdani and NYPD brass, who consider the incident a straightforward assault on the officers.
Mamdani sees it differently, describing the incident as “a snowball fight that got out of hand, and it should be treated accordingly.”
Coulibaly was previously arrested Feb. 6 after he allegedly confronted a 45-year-old man on the platform of the Fordham Road subway station near E. 188 St. and Grand Concourse around 3:16 p.m.
“Run everything in your pockets,” he told his victim. “You don’t want this to get physical.”
The victim, who didn’t give up his belongings, alerted police, who quickly arrested Coulibaly. He was released without bail after being arraigned in Bronx Criminal Court on attempted robbery, petty larceny and harassment charges, officials said.
NYPD union heads said Coulibaly’s criminal past shows the snowball fight was not a case of innocent kids having a good time.
“A 27-year-old with a recent attempted robbery arrest is not a ‘kid,’” Hendry said prior to Coulibaly’s arraignment Thursday. “This arrest sends a clear message that assaults on police officers cannot and will not be minimized or tolerated.”
“There is more work to be done to hold accountable all who participated in this shameful attack,” he added.
Coulibaly’s attorney addressed the robbery allegation at his arraignment for the snowball attack on Thursday, telling a judge it was just a prank to generate content for his online videos.
“It’s not a problem. I’ve watched the video. I spoke to the defense attorney who represents him in that case. She’s confident that that case will be dismissed,” said Vomvolakis.
Supporters of Coulibaly’s online content and YouTube channel, titled “Life of a Diaper” said that his attempted robbery arrest was sparked by an online prank.
A video on his YouTube channel titled “I Tried Finding NYC’s Wildest Borough … And Got ARRESTED” appears to show his Feb. 6 arrest.
The video shows him getting handcuffed by three plainclothes cops in a Bronx train station after he’s recorded trying to rob someone and using the “run your pockets” line on a stranger.
“They ain’t even asking what happened, they just want to boogie,” Coulibaly said as he was pressed up against a station wall and had his hands cuffed behind his back. “I’m making whole content, bro. You buggin!”
“We’re rolling too,” a cop equipped with a bodyworn camera said to Coulibaly’s friend, who was recording the entire exchange.
“It’s really dishonest of @NYPDnews to suggest that this person was arrested for attempted robbery. It was YouTube prank,” Shabazz Stuart said on X. “They’re obviously trying to insinuate that this person is a violent criminal.”
But regardless if it was intended as a prank, Coulibaly is due back in Bronx Criminal Court March 6 in the attempted robbery case.
The NYPD is urging anyone with information on the additional suspects to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.
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