The Manhattan District Attorney\u2019s Office declined to charge one of the hooligans accused of pelting snowballs at NYPD cops during the wild Washington Square Park melee with assault on a police officer during a court hearing Thursday. <\/p>\n
Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, was originally charged with assault on a police officer, obstruction of governmental administration and disorderly conduct for his alleged involvement in a snowball free-for-all in Washington Square Park<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, wasn\u2019t charged with assault on a police officer when he was arraigned Thursday evening. Kevin C Downs for NY Post<\/p>\n But the Manhattan District Attorney\u2019s Office declined to pursue the cop assault charge during his arraignment Thursday evening.<\/p>\n The other charges were also downgraded to harassment and obstruction of governmental administration as a second-degree violation and misdemeanor, respectively, according to a criminal complaint.<\/p>\n Patrick Hendry, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, told reporters that the purported \u201cplayful snowball fight\u201d was \u201can attack on the uniform these police officers wear every day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Coulibaly allegedly hurled snowballs at NYPD officers during a melee in Washington Square Park. AP<\/p>\n \u201cThis was a grown adult that was here. Our police officers went to this location, on the rooftop, for a disorderly group, came down, and they were surrounded by hundreds of individuals who then attacked all police officers,\u201d Hendry said.<\/p>\n Hendry claimed that Coulibaly and the three suspects still at large<\/a> knowingly packed the snow with ice and rocks before launching it at cops \u2014 and balked at the \u201cdownplayed\u201d charges.<\/p>\n One officer suffered tenderness to his face after he was hit with a snowball. FNTV<\/p>\n \u201cSo why wasn\u2019t assault charged? Why was harassment charged? Why do they feel that that didn\u2019t cause an injury to a police officer, which he clearly, clearly, has an injury below his eye?\u201d Hendry said. \u2029<\/p>\n One victimized officer, only identified as \u201cPO Johnson,\u201d suffered redness, tenderness and pain to the left side of his face near his eye, but it was difficult to prove \u201cthat the injury was obtained directly from the defendant,\u201d Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Victoria Notaro said in court.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hendry said that Johnson is out on sick leave and \u201con the mend.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Coulibaly was arrested on Thursday. Three other suspects are still at large. DCPI<\/p>\n Coulibaly didn\u2019t address the court during his arraignment, but his private attorney, George Vomvolakis, accused the NYPD of taking their vitriol for Mayor Zohran Mamdani out on the wannabe influencer.\u00a0<\/p>\n Vomvolakis appeared to lean into the narrative Mamdani painted in the immediate aftermath of the fight, which hizzoner contended was \u201ckids doing snowballs.\u201d<\/a> In the same vein, Vomvolakis repeatedly claimed that Coulibaly is 22 years old \u2014 when he\u2019s actually 27. <\/p>\n Despite Vomvolakis\u2019s attempts to reframe the case as a \u201cglorified summons,\u201d claiming that Coulibaly \u201chad no idea what the intent was\u201d when he allegedly lobbed the snowball, Judge Michelle Weber argued that his involvement \u201cshowed a complete lack of judgment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n