One down, three to go. The NYPD arrested a Bronx man on Thursday morning for assaulting police officers during a snowball fight in Washington Square Park on the afternoon of Monday, Feb. 23.
Gusmane Coulibaly, 27, of Anderson Ave. in the Highbridge section, was taken into custody by detectives from the NYPD warrant squad and booked at the 6th Precinct after he was identified as one of the four suspects who were caught on camera firing snowballs and chunks of ice at cops starting at 4:20 p.m.
Two uniformed police officers were repeatedly struck in the head, neck, and face during the assault. The officers were transported by EMS to Northwell Greenwich Village Hospital in stable condition.
Coulibaly was known to law enforcement after he was previously arrested three weeks ago for an attempted robbery in the transit system, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced Thursday on social media. The near riot exposed a potential rift between the police commissioner and Mayor Zohran Mamdani. On Tuesday night, Tisch called for a criminal investigation hours after the Mayor said the incident “looked like kids at a snowball fight.”
The Mayor reiterated his stance on Wednesday.
“I’ve said that what I saw was a snowball fight,” he told reporters. “It should be treated accordingly. It was one that got out of hand. But that’s what it was.”
Following the arrest of Coulibaly on Thursday morning, Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry stated that the Bronx suspect was no kid.
“A 27-year-old with a recent attempted robbery arrest is not a ‘kid.” This arrest sends a clear message that assaults on police officers cannot and will not be minimized or tolerated,” Hendry said. “We thank all of the NYPD members who have worked so hard on this case, and all of the New Yorkers who have spoken up in support of our police officers.”
Police are still searching for three more suspects in the assault of the police officers. They are described as approximately 18 to 20 years of age. One has a light complexion and partial facial hair and was last seen wearing a green hooded jacket over a blue sweatshirt, with blue gloves. The second suspect is described as having a light complexion and wearing a black jacket, a black ski mask, and black sweatpants with white stripes. The third man is described as having a dark complexion, last seen wearing a black jacket, black sweatpants, and black shoes.
A reward of up to $3,500 is being offered for information that leads to their arrest and indictment.
Anyone with information regarding this ongoing investigation is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are strictly confidential.
