YouTube star Kai Cenat has been placed under arrest after a riot erupted at his Playstation 5 giveaway event in a New York park.
The influencer will face two counts of inciting a riot and unlawful assembly, as well as other unspecified charges, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said at a press conference. Additionally, 65 individuals were arrested today, 30 of which are juveniles.
In the last press conference of the day, the police chief said that fireworks were being thrown, with at least one severe injury that involved a minor that had to be taken to Bellvue Hospital.
People were seen climbing on vehicles and pulling at construction barriers, while others were filmed throwing objects into the crowd and at police officers. NYPD blocked off the area and began arresting individuals.
One person was seen setting off a fire extinguisher and three people could be seen tumbling off a vehicle as it sped away. Smoke was also briefly visible at the scene.
Witnesses at the scene reported the nearby Wholefoods store evacuated people through the rear of the building as Cenat was reported to be giving away PlayStation consoles. Local news reports indicate the vehicle carrying Cenat leaving the scene as covered in people.
The Twitch streamer planned to give away 300 PlayStations. Authorities estimated some 2,000 people showed up. The crowd began to gather at about 1pm and the riot kicked off at 3pm.
The NYPD called for a Level 4 mobilization, meaning roughly 1,000 officers were on the scene in minutes after people began demolishing construction barricades, throwing objects, and standing on top of the Union Square subway entrance.
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AP)
Using loudspeakers, officers warned crowds: “This gathering is unlawful. You are ordered to disperse.”
Officers donned riot gear, including shields and batons as they made their way through the crowd. By 4:30 pm, the scene was peaceful, with authorities dispersing the crowds and making multiple arrests.
Twitch streamer Cenat landed in his hometown of New York after visiting Japan to perform the giveaway. He was supposed to do an event with another streamer – Speed – but that was cancelled due to health reasons for the other influencer.
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CBS News WS)
On his Instagram story, Cenat urged his million of followers to attend. He wrote: “F**k it, NYC! Tomorrow 8/4 Huge Giveaway At 14 ST Union Square Park 4:00 PM. BE THERE.”
After chaos ensued, Cenat, who has 6.5 million followers on Twitch, posted a video of himself surrounded by hundreds of fans. Police managed to pull the streamer out of the crowd and place him in custody, while fans mobbed the sides of the car and followed them as far as they could.
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CBS News)
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Kathy Hutchins/REX/Shutterstock)
The chaos spread to the blocks above and below the park, stopping cars and traffic. As a safety measure, the MTA skipped the Union Square stop on all trains for some time, but service is up and running now.
The NYPD is planning a press conference soon regarding today’s events. In-person reports from the area of Union Square say that crowds are still gathered in the area, though most of the violence has been subdued and officers are guarding the space.
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Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
FDNY officials said six people were hurt in the chaos, with four victims transported to Beth Israel, and two transported to Lennox Hill Healthplex.
“I personally observed young people walking out with their heads- bleeding from their heads, bleeding from on their faces. I personally observed young people having panic attacks, anxiety attacks, asthma attacks. People were suffering out here,” NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said.
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Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
“It was a lot of people, it was uncontrolled, it took us a while to get it under control, and a lot of young people got hurt,” Maddrey continued.
Skylark Jones, 19, and a friend came to see Cenat but when they arrived the scene was already packed, bottles were being thrown by people in the crowd and there was a commotion even before Cenat appeared, they said. “It was a movie,” Jones said. Police “came with riot shields, charging at people.”
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AP)
Cenat, 21, is a video creator with 6.5 million followers on the platform Twitch, where he regularly livestreams. The streamer routinely posts videos of him involved in silly antics.
He also boasts 4 million subscribers on YouTube, where he posts daily life and comedy vlogs ranging from “Fake Hibachi Chef Prank!” to his most recent video, “I Rented Us Girlfriends In Japan!”