People stand atop a subway station entrance for protection after popular live streamer Kai Cenat announced a ‘giveaway’ event which turned chaotic, prompting police to respond and disperse crowds in Union Square and surrounding streets, in New York, U.S., August 4, 2023. Photo by Reuters/David ‘Dee’ Delgado
Thousands of people thronged New York’s Union Square and surrounding streets on Friday in a chaotic scene after a popular live streamer announced a ‘giveaway’ event, with police struggling to contain fans throwing projectiles and injuring officers .
The event was promoted by Kai Cenat, best known for his live streams on gaming site Twitch and his YouTube videos. He previously announced a “huge giveaway” on his Instagram account for 4 p.m. ET (2000 GMT) at Manhattan Park.
Before the start of the event, footage from news helicopters showed people throwing bottles and chairs, climbing onto the roof of a subway entrance, standing on top of cars and unloading a fire extinguisher.
Jeffrey Maddrey, the New York Police Department’s highest-ranking uniformed officer, told reporters that police are questioning Cenat and charges against him are possible, including inciting a riot.
Maddrey said the total number of arrests was not yet clear, but police had filled a city bus with those arrested. Several officers and participants were injured; Maddrey said he was hit by objects himself.
“Individuals in the park began to commit acts of violence towards the police and the public,” he told a press conference. “Our officers were attacked. We were crushed, we were pushed.”
Some people set off fireworks, while others brandished tools at a construction site, Maddrey said. It was not immediately clear what had triggered the chaos.
Television news helicopter video showed Cenat in a black SUV at one point, standing with his head through the sunroof, as people swarmed the vehicle. At least one person fell from the car as it drove away.
In a video posted Thursday, Cenat told followers the giveaway would include computers and Playstation 5 consoles.
Cenat, 21, has 6.5 million subscribers on Twitch and 4 million subscribers on YouTube. He was named “Streamer of the Year” in 2022 at the Streamy Awards.
