An arrest has been made in the snowball fight controversy that saw video of NYPD officers take apparently unprovoked snowballs to their heads and backs as they walked through the crowd, according to police.

The arrest of a 27-year-old, police said, comes after the NYPD released photos of two people it was looking for in connection with the incident at Washington Square Park on Monday. Gusmane Coulibaly was charged with second-degree harassment and obstruction of governmental administration at his arraignment Thursday night.

The fight was organized on social media, and what began as a fun and lighthearted gathering has devolved into a political rift, putting Mayor Zohran Mamdani at odds with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

Video taken of the incident in question appears to show people deliberately throwing snowballs at the heads of officers walking by. Some NYPD cops ended up with cuts on their faces, officials said, and were taken to a hospital for treatment. All of those officers are expected to be OK. Tisch called it disgraceful.

This morning, the NYPD arrested Gusmane Coulibaly, 27 years old, for assaulting our officers earlier this week in Washington Square Park. 

Mr. Coulibaly was previously arrested less than three weeks ago for an attempted robbery in the transit system. pic.twitter.com/IHO2zTC4tr

— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) February 26, 2026

Mamdani later acknowledged videos of the cop-snowball-throwing-incident and said he watched them. He refrained from directly condemning the behavior seen in the video, lauding the NYPD for helping keep the city safe during the blizzard and reminding everyone to “treat them with respect.”

It “looked like kids having a snowball fight,” Mamdani said at first.

He faced some criticism from the police union and others over whether his response was strong enough.

“What I saw yesterday in these videos was a snowball fight that got out of hand,” Mamdani said when asked Wednesday, again, for comment. ” I believe that our officers, just like any city workers, deserve respect,” he said.

I’ve seen the videos of kids throwing snowballs at NYPD officers in Washington Square Park.

Officers, like all city workers, have been out in a historic blizzard, keeping New Yorkers safe and cars moving.

Treat them with respect. If anyone’s catching a snowball, it’s me.

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) February 24, 2026

“I’m not going to be banning snowball fights or organized snowball fights,” Mamdani added later. “And I continue to believe that what we are seeing in this response to this winter blizzard from the city workers as a whole, and that includes the hard-working men and women of the NYPD, is part of why the city’s getting back on its feet.”

The NYC PBA, which had immediately condemned the behavior seen in the video, called it “outrageous” and “unacceptable” was quick to jump on news of the arrest Thursday.

A 27-year-old is not a “kid,” @NYCMayor. This individual is an adult with a recent attempted robbery arrest, and your message was that it’s OK for him to assault police officers for doing their job. This arrest sends a different message. We’re grateful to all who have worked so… https://t.co/0BT6Z9xvLH

— NYC PBA (@NYCPBA) February 26, 2026

The record-breaking blizzard, the first one to hit the New York City area in a decade, brought the entire northeast of the United States to a halt on Monday. Central Park recorded 19.7 inches of snow as of Monday afternoon, marking its ninth-biggest snowfall in recorded history.