New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Tuesday that he does not believe the suspects who allegedly injured two New York Police Department (NYPD) officers Monday should face charges.
A reporter asked Mamdani at a press conference if those individuals would be prosecuted.
“I’ve seen the videos of the snowball fight, I think that it was a snowball fight,” Mamdani replied.
Zohran Mamdani says NO charges have been filed against the individuals who injured multiple NYPD officers because he thinks it was just “a snowball fight.”
UNREALpic.twitter.com/6gEVRLrLj1
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 24, 2026
The Police Benevolent Association (PBA) slammed the mayor’s response, pointing to injuries that the officers sustained.
“This was not just a ‘snowball fight.’ This was an assault — by adults throwing chunks of ice and rocks — that landed two police officers in the hospital with head and face injuries,” PBA President Patrick Hendry stated, ABC7NY reported.
“I think that there were two officers who were facing lacerations on their face,” Mamdani acknowledged Tuesday.
Officers responded to Washington Square Park in Manhattan Monday to a report of several people on a roof. When officers arrived, police claimed the crowd started throwing snowballs at them, the outlet reported.
Two police officers were sent the emergency room after allegedly being hit in the face and head, according to ABC7NY.
Mamdani acknowledged the incident and urged New Yorkers to treat officers with respect, but he stopped short of condemning the alleged attack.
“I’ve seen the videos of kids throwing snowballs at NYPD officers in Washington Square Park. Officers, like all city workers, have been out in a historic blizzard, keeping New Yorkers safe and cars moving. Treat them with respect,” he said on X.
I’ve seen the videos of kids throwing snowballs at NYPD officers in Washington Square Park.
Officers, like all city workers, have been out in a historic blizzard, keeping New Yorkers safe and cars moving.
Treat them with respect. If anyone’s catching a snowball, it’s me.
— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) February 24, 2026
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo blasted Mamdani for his previous remarks about the NYPD.
“This is disgraceful. But with a mayor who has a history of calling the police ‘racist, evil, wicked and corrupt,’ he set the tone,” Cuomo stated on X. “Words have consequences. We are seeing that in the growing disrespect for law enforcement — just as we’ve seen it in the rise in antisemitism.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the behavior was “criminal” in an X post. She added that detectives are investigating the incident.
Detectives’ Endowment Association (DEA) President Scott Munro also addressed the incident in a statement posted on X.
“The [DEA] is calling on Mayor Mamdani and District Attorney Bragg to ensure every individual responsible for this illegal behavior is prosecuted,” he stated in part. “No free pass. No get out of jail free card.”