Manhattan DA Drops Assault Charge in Washington Square Park Snowball Fight

NEW YORK — Manhattan prosecutors declined Thursday night to pursue an assault charge against a man arrested in connection with a large snowball fight in Washington Square Park earlier this week, according to a report by Gothamist.

Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, was instead arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court on misdemeanor counts of obstructing governmental administration and a harassment violation. He was released on supervised release.

NEW: Assault charge DROPPED in viral Washington Square Park snowball fight case.

DA Office declined to move forward with an assault charge against 27-year-old Gusmane Coulibaly, instead filing a misdemeanor count of obstructing governmental administration and a harassment… pic.twitter.com/RTdrUAliLS

— Oliya Scootercaster 🛴 (@ScooterCasterNY) February 27, 2026

Prosecutors said they could not prove that a police officer sustained a physical injury directly caused by Coulibaly’s actions, and therefore did not include an assault count. The investigation remains ongoing, they said.

The arrest followed a viral snowball fight Monday in Washington Square Park after a blizzard blanketed the city. Police had initially said Coulibaly assaulted officers who were struck with snow and ice during the gathering.

Two officers were treated for minor injuries, including a bruised eye and a headache, police said earlier in the week.

About a dozen uniformed officers, along with leadership from the Police Benevolent Association, attended the arraignment. Union President Patrick Hendry criticized the decision not to pursue assault charges, calling the incident “a blatant attack on the uniform.”

Defense attorney George Vomvolakis disputed that characterization, telling reporters that video of the encounter did not show an attack. In court, he argued the case amounted to, at most, a summons-level offense.