NYPD charges 18-year-old in viral Washington Square Park snowball fight

"Eric Wilson Jr., 18, is facing charges of obstructing government administration and harassment for the Feb. 23 incident, police said. Officials said he threw one of the snowballs that hit one of the officers. Wilson lives in East Harlem and turned himself in at the Sixth Precinct stationhouse in the West Village around 9 a.m. on Wednesday, according to the NYPD."

"Manhattan prosecutors dropped the assault charge, saying they could not prove an officer was injured as a direct result of his alleged conduct. A judge granted Coulibaly supervised release. Footage of the two officers being hit with multiple snowballs went viral. Someone had called 911 to report the crowd, which was participating in an organized snowball fight in the park following the winter storm."

"The incident attracted international attention and made waves among residents, police and city officials, with Mayor Zohran Mamdani facing scrutiny over his response to the episode. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch called the incident "disgraceful" and "criminal," while New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said it was "never acceptable to throw anything at a police officer, full stop.""

Eric Wilson Jr., 18, was arrested and charged with obstructing government administration and harassment for allegedly throwing a snowball that hit an NYPD officer during a February 23 snowball fight in Washington Square Park. Wilson turned himself in at the Sixth Precinct stationhouse. His arrest follows that of 27-year-old social media influencer Gusmane Coulibaly, whose assault charge was dropped by Manhattan prosecutors who could not prove officer injury. The incident, which involved a large crowd pelting two officers with snowballs during an organized event after a historic blizzard, attracted international attention and drew criticism from city officials including Mayor Zohran Mamdani, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and Governor Kathy Hochul.

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