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Livestreamer to face charges after thousands overwhelm New York’s Union Square for hyped giveaway

Police plan to charge Kai Cenat with inciting a riot after thousands packed Manhattan’s Union Square on Friday

Content creator Kai Cenat, centre left, places his hands on his face as he is helped into a New York Police vehicle near Union Square in New York. Photograph: WABC-TV via AP

Sat Aug 5 2023 - 14:16

New York police made 65 arrests and said they planned to charge livestreamer Kai Cenat with inciting a riot after thousands of people packed Manhattan’s Union Square for a hyped giveaway.

On his Instagram feed, Cenat had promoted a giveaway at 4pm in the New York park and people started lining up from 1.30pm, with the crowd swelling by 3pm and some becoming unruly.

Aerial TV news footage showed a surging, tightly packed crowd running through the streets, scaling structures in the park and climbing on vehicles.

By 5.30pm, police officers in growing numbers had regained control of much of the area, but small skirmishes were still breaking out, with young people knocking over barricades and throwing bottles and even a flowerpot at officers.

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Police were seen wrestling people to the ground and chasing them down the street. Of those arrested, 30 were juveniles.

Inciting a riot

NYPD chief Jeffrey Maddrey said police planned to charge Cenat with multiple counts of inciting a riot, unlawful assembly and possibly other crimes. He said a number of people were injured, including at least four people taken away in ambulances, and police vehicles were damaged.

Some young people leaving the park said they had gone expecting to get a computer for livestreaming or a new PlayStation.

Skylark Jones (19), who went with a friend, said the scene was already packed when they arrived and bottles were being thrown before police with riot shields began “charging at people”.

Thousands of people overran New York's Union Square after a popular live streamer announced a "giveaway" event. (Reuters)

Cenat (21) is a video creator with 6.5 million followers on the platform Twitch, where he regularly livestreams. He also boasts four million subscribers on YouTube, where he posts daily life and comedy vlogs with titles ranging from “Fake Hibachi Chef Prank!” to his most recent video “I Rented Us Girlfriends In Japan!”

His 299 YouTube videos have amassed more than 276 million views.

In December, he was crowned streamer of the year at the 12th annual Streamy Awards.

Of those arrested following the disorder in Union Square, 30 were juveniles. Photograph: Mary Altaffer/AP

Messages sent by AP to his publicist, management company and an email address for business inquiries were not immediately returned.

Livestreaming on Twitch from a vehicle as the event gathered steam, Cenat displayed gift cards he planned to give away.

“Everybody who’s out there, make sure y’all safe,” he said. “We’re not gonna do nothin’ until it’s safe.”

Entourage

Eventually he and an entourage got out of the vehicle and went through the crowd, into the park, where Cenat was surrounded by a cheering, shoving mob. Mr Maddrey said Cenat was removed “for his safety” and police were in contact with him.

Videos posted on social media and taken from news helicopters showed Cenat being lifted over a fence and out of the crowd and then placed in a police vehicle. The police chief also said a city bus filled with people who were arrested came under attack, and more police had to be sent to protect it.

“We have encountered things like this before but never to this level of dangerousness,” Mr Maddrey said.

Three officers were hurt, including a sergeant who broke a hand. A teenager was injured by exploding fireworks, he said.

“Listen, we’re not against young people having a good time, we’re not against young people gathering.

“But it can’t be to this level where it’s dangerous. A lot of people got hurt today.” - AP

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