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Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg\u2019s <\/a>office has dropped assault charges against a New York City influencer who was accused of hurling snowballs at the NYPD<\/a>. <\/p>\n Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, was arrested yesterday at his home in The Bronx in connection with the now-infamous snowball fight<\/a> that unfolded earlier this week. <\/p>\n The fight took place in the city\u2019s Washington Square Park, with videos of the incident quickly spreading across social media. In the footage, New Yorkers can be seen pelting police officers with snowballs and larger chunks of snow<\/a> after officers were drafted in to control crowds. <\/p>\n However, in court, prosecutors said that they were unable to prove that Coulibaly had caused an officer to sustain a physical injury, leading to the assault charge being dropped. <\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Assault charges against Gusmane Coulibaly have been dropped following a snowball fight, which unfolded in Washington Square Park (NYPD)<\/p>\n Prosecutors did maintain, though, that Officer Nicholas Johnson had developed redness in his eye and pain in his head and neck from the snowball fight, according to The Associated Press<\/a>. <\/p>\n Now, Coulibaly faces a misdemeanor charge of obstructing government administration, as well as a harassment violation. According to the NYPD<\/a>, he had already been arrested less than three weeks ago in connection with an unrelated \u201cattempted robbery in the transit system.\u201d<\/p>\n The snowball fight in Greenwich Village has caused an early headache<\/a> for New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s administration, though.<\/p>\n Following Coulibaly\u2019s release, Mayor Mamdani\u2019s spokesperson, Dora Pekec, agreed that the influencer should not face criminal charges. <\/p>\n \u201cAs the mayor has said, police officers deserve to be treated with respect,\u201d Pekec told reporters at The New York Times<\/a>. \u201cThe videos he saw showed a snowball fight that got out of hand. <\/p>\n \u201cHe does not believe this situation rises to the level of criminal charges.\u201d<\/p>\n On the other hand, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch described the events at the snowball fight as \u201ccriminal\u201d and \u201cdisgraceful\u201d in a social media statement<\/a>. <\/p>\n Tisch has been supported by police unions, with several uniformed officers even sitting in on Coulibaly\u2019s arraignment last night, according to The Gothamist<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis was a blatant attack on the uniform that they wear so proudly every day,\u201d Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry told reporters last night, referring to Coulibaly.<\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Snowball fights took place across New York City on Monday, with the one in Washington Square Park allegedly being organized by influencers (Getty)<\/p>\n Coulibaly\u2019s attorney, George Vomvolakis, rejected that characterization.<\/p>\n \u201cIt didn\u2019t look like an attack to me,\u201d he replied, according to The Gothamist. <\/p>\n![\"Assault](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-27-at-08-53-32.png\")
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