Twitch streamer charged with inciting a riot after New York City giveaway won’t be prosecuted, officials say

By Rob Frehse, CNN

(CNN) — Social media influencer Kai Cenat will not be prosecuted on charges of inciting a riot and unlawful assembly connected to a chaotic giveaway he promoted in New York City’s Union Square last year, which resulted in dozens of arrests, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office said.

Cenat posted a public apology to social media and has agreed to pay $55,000 in restitution after the riotous crowd of thousands of people damaged landscaping in Union Square, prosecutors said.

The district attorney’s office said it will officially dismiss the case after the apology has been on social media for 24 hours.

Last August, Cenat announced during a Twitch stream that he would be hosting a “huge giveaway” of computers, Play Station 5s, gift cards and other prizes in Union Square. At the time, he had more than 6.5 million Twitch followers – a following that has only grown since.

On the day of the event, the crowd exploded from a few hundred people to thousands in just minutes, New York Police Department officials said.

The massive throng led to several injuries, thousands of dollars in property damage and more than 60 arrests after the NYPD activated a “Level 4” response – its highest level for disaster responses, police said.

Days after the incident, Cenat condemned the violent melee, saying he was “beyond disappointed in anybody who became destructive that day.”

Cenat now has more than 5 million followers on YouTube, 9 million on Instagram and 10 million on Twitch.

The-CNN-Wire
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