NEW YORK, NY – What was apparently meant to be a fun event for gaming fans quickly turned into a violent riot that police initially attempted to avoid controlling. Eventually, however, it became so out of control that the New York Police Department could no longer ignore, including incidents of theft, property destruction, and physical violence.
Kai Cenat, a social media influencer and streamer on the video game streaming website Twitch, posted that he would give away PlayStation 5 video game consoles at 4:00 p.m. last Friday in Union Square. Thousands of people showed up on the chance that they may be pone of the lucky few to walk away with a free console.
His Twitch posts also stated that among the items being given away were “PCs, keyboards, gaming chairs, headphones and other items.” The park was full an hour before the event was scheduled to start. By that time, the video had more than two million views.
Things quickly got out of control. People within the crowd got into physical altercations and began destroying cars.
According to a tweet by investigative journalist Ian Miles Cheong, “New York City is completely out of control. Kai Cenat, a popular Twitch streamer, held a giveaway that turned into a massive riot in Union Square. Police were outnumbered, and the mayor remains silent.”
His tweet includes several videos of what was transpiring.
While initial reports indicated that NYPD stayed clear of the area, citing that they were outnumbered and did not want to cause an escalation, police eventually stepped in and made approximately 65 arrests. They have also said that many of those arrested would be facing charges. Of those taken into custody, at least thirty of them were identified as juveniles.
According to NBC News, New York City Police Chief Jeffrey Maddrey stated that three officers were injured, with one sergeant suffering a broken hand.
“Officers were attacked, we were crushed,” Chief Maddrey said, adding that he had been hit with “multiple objects." He continued, "I personally observed young people having panic attacks, anxiety attacks. People were suffering out here.”
The chief also stated that some of the items used to cause damage and injuries were allegedly stolen from a park construction site. Some of those items included bottles, fireworks, rocks and paint cans. He also alluded that the event posted by Cenat was not permitted or sanctioned by the city.
Witnesses stated that as the arrests were being made, police were moving those individuals onto Mass Transit Authority buses to be processed.
One of those arrested is event organizer Kai Cenat. He is being charged with rioting, inciting a riot and unlawful assembly.
According to the website Red State, it is not clear whether Cenat said anything that incited the riots or if it was simply due to the small number of people that would actually be receiving the gaming consoles compared with the large group that would inevitably show up.
AMP, a group of black content creators, represent Cenat. They issued a statement apologizing to the people and the businesses impacted by the riots, saying that they do not condone those actions of violence.
“Yesterday," the statement read, "members of AMP hoped to create a positive experience for fans and give back as a show of appreciation for their support. We’ve hosted fan meet-ups and video shoots in the past, but we’ve never experienced anything at the scale of what took place yesterday. We recognize that our audience and influence are growing, and with that comes greater responsibility."
Kai Cenat, a social media influencer and streamer on the video game streaming website Twitch, posted that he would give away PlayStation 5 video game consoles at 4:00 p.m. last Friday in Union Square. Thousands of people showed up on the chance that they may be pone of the lucky few to walk away with a free console.
His Twitch posts also stated that among the items being given away were “PCs, keyboards, gaming chairs, headphones and other items.” The park was full an hour before the event was scheduled to start. By that time, the video had more than two million views.
Things quickly got out of control. People within the crowd got into physical altercations and began destroying cars.
According to a tweet by investigative journalist Ian Miles Cheong, “New York City is completely out of control. Kai Cenat, a popular Twitch streamer, held a giveaway that turned into a massive riot in Union Square. Police were outnumbered, and the mayor remains silent.”
His tweet includes several videos of what was transpiring.
While initial reports indicated that NYPD stayed clear of the area, citing that they were outnumbered and did not want to cause an escalation, police eventually stepped in and made approximately 65 arrests. They have also said that many of those arrested would be facing charges. Of those taken into custody, at least thirty of them were identified as juveniles.
According to NBC News, New York City Police Chief Jeffrey Maddrey stated that three officers were injured, with one sergeant suffering a broken hand.
“Officers were attacked, we were crushed,” Chief Maddrey said, adding that he had been hit with “multiple objects." He continued, "I personally observed young people having panic attacks, anxiety attacks. People were suffering out here.”
The chief also stated that some of the items used to cause damage and injuries were allegedly stolen from a park construction site. Some of those items included bottles, fireworks, rocks and paint cans. He also alluded that the event posted by Cenat was not permitted or sanctioned by the city.
Witnesses stated that as the arrests were being made, police were moving those individuals onto Mass Transit Authority buses to be processed.
One of those arrested is event organizer Kai Cenat. He is being charged with rioting, inciting a riot and unlawful assembly.
According to the website Red State, it is not clear whether Cenat said anything that incited the riots or if it was simply due to the small number of people that would actually be receiving the gaming consoles compared with the large group that would inevitably show up.
AMP, a group of black content creators, represent Cenat. They issued a statement apologizing to the people and the businesses impacted by the riots, saying that they do not condone those actions of violence.
“Yesterday," the statement read, "members of AMP hoped to create a positive experience for fans and give back as a show of appreciation for their support. We’ve hosted fan meet-ups and video shoots in the past, but we’ve never experienced anything at the scale of what took place yesterday. We recognize that our audience and influence are growing, and with that comes greater responsibility."
For corrections or revisions, click here.
The opinions reflected in this article are not necessarily the opinions of LET
Comments