Speaker 1 (00:00):
The aftermath of those stunning scenes in Union Square. Thousands of kids and teenagers ran wild in the streets, hoping to get a free PlayStation console. It was sparked by a social media influencer who now faces charges for inciting a riot. Police made dozens of arrests yesterday.
(00:18)
Tonight, the NYPD is trying to crack down or track down several suspects who damaged police property. Here’s ABC’s Reena Roy.
Reena Roy (00:27):
Tonight, hours after violent pandemonium, social media influencer Kai Cenat hit with three charges, felony riot causing public injury or damage, inciting a riot, and unlawful assembly. Thousands rushing to Manhattan’s Union Square, creating chaos.
Kai Cenat (00:45):
$100 gift cards all here, bro. We going to go crazy for New York, man,
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Turn it up.
Reena Roy (00:52):
After Cenat told his millions of followers on live-streaming platform, Twitch, Friday that he would give away video game consoles and gift cards.
Mayor Eric Adams (00:59):
Children cannot get their values, their beliefs from social media.
Reena Roy (01:06):
Today, New York City Mayor Eric Adams saying he believes outside agitators inflamed the situation.
Mayor Eric Adams (01:12):
You don’t come to get free Game Boys and bring smoke bombs.
Speaker 6 (01:17):
We have fire extinguishers and paint being thrown by the crowd.
Reena Roy (01:25):
People also hurling bottles, climbing onto subway entrances and statues, jumping on cars and setting off fireworks. Some even hanging onto this SUV, several falling off. This Uber driver’s window completely smashed. He says police pulled him out of the car.
Speaker 7 (01:38):
They said, “Leave everything. Get the hell out of here.” Otherwise, they’re going to kill someone here today.
Reena Roy (01:42):
The NYPD says some officers were crushed, pushed, and hit with objects, dressed in riot gear as they struggled to control the massive crowd. Authorities arresting more than 60 people.
(01:54)
An NYPD official tells us that they do believe Cenat was planning on handing out a few PlayStation 5s, and police say a lot of this could have been avoided if he had just contacted them ahead of time. We reached out to his team for comment. We haven’t heard back yet. Reena Roy, ABC News, New York.
Speaker 1 (02:13):
Well, just a few hours ago, Kai Cenat issued this statement through his team. “Yesterday, members of AMP hope to create a positive experience for fans and give back as a show of appreciation for their support. We’ve hosted fan meet ups and video shoots in the past, but we’ve never experienced anything at the scale of what took place yesterday. We recognize that our audience and influence are growing, and with that comes greater responsibility. We are deeply disheartened by the outbreak of disorderly conduct that affected innocent people and businesses, and do not condone that behavior. We apologize to all of those impacted. We are fully cooperating with local authorities.”