NYPD not amused after officers hit in snowball fight

(AP):

A massive post-blizzard snowball fight in New York that ended in police officers being pelted is creating a frosty dispute between Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his own police department.

Mamdani has downplayed the fracas in Washington Square Park as children simply having some fun. The New York Police Department and its leader, Jessica Tisch, are taking it more seriously. The department is searching for four people -- and has begun circulating pictures of them -- after it said officers were hurt by hurled snow and ice at Monday's event, which was organised by social media content producers.

Mamdani, meanwhile, suggested he doesn't believe criminal charges are warranted.

"I've said time and time again that, having seen these videos, to me it was a snowball fight that got out of hand and it should be treated accordingly," he told reporters yesterday when asked if anyone should be prosecuted.

Tisch denounced the incident as "disgraceful" and "criminal". The union representing patrol officers quickly seized on the incident as evidence that respect for officers has declined under the new mayor.

"This was not just a 'snowball fight'. This was an assault," the Police Benevolent Association said in a statement.

It was unclear whether the episode could snowball into a larger political headache for Mamdani, who came into office under scrutiny from all sides because of his past criticisms of the police department.

Monday's snowball fight drew a big crowd as a massive storm blanketed the Northeast, causing a chaotic scene as young people chucked snowballs around one of the city's landmark parks. As many parents know, snowball fights, by their nature, often end in tears or fights. People can get carried away. Not everyone wants a face full of snow. At one point, videos posted on social media showed two officers who entered the park began to get pelted with snowballs from seemingly all directions, covering them in snow as they paced a walkway. The officers pushed at least two people to the ground as snowballs flew by and attendees filmed with their phones. One officer's face appeared to be reddened and he could be seen rubbing his eye. Additional videos showed people throwing snowballs at other officers who were on the street just outside the park.

The police department later released a statement saying multiple officers were struck in the face with snowballs. A spokesperson for the union said two police officers were treated at a nearby hospital for face, head and neck injuries.