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NYC "Out Of Control" As Twitch Streamer Arrested For Inciting A Riot

Tyler Durden's Photo
by Tyler Durden
Saturday, Aug 05, 2023 - 05:00 PM

All hell broke out on Friday afternoon when Twitch streamer "Kai Cenat" told his massive following to come out to Manhattan's Union Square Park, where he would be giving away PlayStation consoles and gift cards, among other items.

Cenat, a 21-year-old who has more than 20 million social media followers, at 12:30 Friday used his Instagram account to announce he'd be showing up at 4:30 to give away PlayStation5's, computers, microphones and other electronic accessories. 

Between 3 pm and 3:30 pm EST., things spiraled out of control:

What exactly turned the crowd unruly isn't quite clear, but by 3:30 pm people were seen chucking garbage at police and taking down barriers around the perimeter. Witnesses reported seeing others throwing chairs and bottles. One person had a bruise on his face and he said he was pushed to the ground. --NBC New York

Police estimate the crowd size climbed to a "couple thousand people." 

The chaos that erupted prompted the highest level of police mobilization by the New York City Police Department. A spokesperson told NBC New York that 1,000 officers were called to Union Park. 

"Soon the park and the surrounding streets were overrun with people. They were disrupting both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The NYPD responded by calling a mobilization in response to the large crowd. As the crowd grew, so did our mobilization. The crowd was swarmed when the influencer finally arrived at the park. Individuals in the park began to commit acts of violence towards the police and the public," NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said. 

Maddrey said the crowd stormed a construction: 

"You had people walking around with shovels, axes, and other tools from the construction trade. In addition, individuals were also lighting fireworks and flash bombs. They were throwing them towards police, and they were throwing them at each other," Maddrey said. 

Here's more chaos of what happened:

Police reported 65 were arrested, and thirty of them were juveniles. 

The streamer, Kai Cenat, was arrested at Union Square and police say he'll be charged with inciting a riot, unlawful assembly and other crimes.

Live-streamer Kai Cenat was arrested on the scene (New York Post)

The unrest is another negative reflection on Mayor Eric Adams, who appears to be struggling to enforce law and order in the crime-ridden metro area. 

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