Chaos broke out when large crowds gathered in Union Square in New York on Friday after influencer and Twitch profiler Kai Cenat (21) organized a live stream with PlayStation gifts, writes CBS News.
Twitch is a live streaming platform where people usually play video games while chatting with viewers.
People started to gather around 13:00 (local time)
Images from a helicopter showed crowds tearing down barricades and throwing objects at police officers. Teenagers threw objects at cars and climbed on top of buses, writes the AP news agency.
Police officers cover items thrown by people during a giveaway event in New York on August 4, 2023.
Photo: Reuters
As a vehicle tried to get out of the area, people clung to it, and at least three people were observed falling off as it picked up speed, according to reports from CBS.
Several people were injured, and four were taken away by ambulance.
Authorities estimate that around 2,000 people attended the event.
– They throw tear gas out there. We’re not going to do anything until it’s safe. There is a “war” out there, says Cenat in a live stream from inside a vehicle near Union Square, writes the BBC.
Norwegian Joakim Lund witnessed the incident in Union Square.
– We were going past Union Square and eventually saw a large crowd as we approached, says Lund.
He says he saw people climbing up statues, signs and cars.
– As a lot of police began to arrive, we decided to go around and ended up on the other side. When we were on our way into the store, we saw that everyone started running.
Detained and charged
Around 17:00, Kai Cenat was arrested and detained together with several people, the police in New York stated at a press conference around midnight on Saturday Norwegian time. An hour later it had calmed down.
In an update on the night of Sunday 6 August, the news agency AP reports, that Cenat is charged with inciting riots and promoting an event without
Cenat must appear in court on August 18.
The police in New York say they have been involved in similar incidents before, but never as dangerous as this time.
– There were people walking around with shovels, axes and other tools from the construction industry. In addition, some lit fireworks which they threw at the police and each other, says the police department head in New York, Jeffrey Maddrey at a press conference.
65 people were arrested, including 30 young people.
Photo: AFP
Several million followers
The influencer had promoted a giveway at 4pm in the park, where he would, among other things, give away playstations, computers and other electronic equipment.
Kai Cenat has around 6.5 million followers on the platform Twitch, where he regularly streams live. He also has 4 million subscribers on YouTube, where he shares video blogs.
In December, he was named streamer of the year at the 12th annual Streamy Awards, according to the AP news agency.
Kai Cenat announced on his Twitch channel that he was going to have giveaways with PC, Playstation and more.
Photo: Screenshot from live on Twitch / Ap
2023-08-06 02:39:33
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