Watch live: Chaos erupts at Manhattan’s Union Square during livestreamer Kai Cenat’s giveaway

NEW YORK – Chaos erupted Friday after a large crowd gathered at Manhattan’s Union Square Park for livestreamer Kai Cenat’s giveaway.  

Some of the crowd could be seen tearing down construction barricades and hurling objects, including throwing some objects at responding police officers. 

As one vehicle attempted to leave – which is believed to have been carrying Cenat – the crowd could be seen mobbing it. It moved slowly through throngs of people before eventually speeding off, with people clinging to the sides and back. At least three people could be seen tumbling off the vehicle onto the pavement as it sped away.   

Cenat was taken into police custody for questioning at around 5 p.m. CBS New York’s Marcia Kramer reported exclusively Cenat did not have a permit for the event. 

Earlier in the day, he posted on social media that he would be there in person for the giveaway. 

Cenat has more than 9 million followers on Twitch and other social media platforms. 

NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said the post quickly went viral.

“Soon the park and the surrounding streets were overrun with people. They were disrupting both vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The NYPD responded by calling a mobilization in response to the large crowd. As the crowd grew, so did our mobilization. The crowd was swarmed when the influencer finally arrived at the park. Individuals in the park began to commit acts of violence towards the police and the public,” Maddrey said.   

Maddrey said some in the crowd stormed a construction site and began to hurl construction equipment, paint cans, bottles, rocks, and more. 

“You had people walking around with shovels, axes, and other tools from the construction trade. In addition, individuals were also lighting firecrackers. They were throwing them towards police, and they were throwing them at each other,” Maddrey said. 

Watch Chopper 2 over the scene

As the chaos unfolded, Chopper 2 was overhead and spotted people climbing on top of the roof covering the entrance to the Union Square subway station. One person was seen setting off a fire extinguisher, sending huge smoky plumes over the crowd.  

Authorities estimated some 2,000 people showed up for the meet-and-greet and giveaway, which was to involve hundreds of video game consoles. 

While the crowd gathered as early as 1 p.m., the raucous behavior broke out roughly around 3 p.m. or so. 

The NYPD called for a massive response – a Level 4 mobilization, meaning roughly 1,000 officers – after people began demolishing construction barricades, throwing objects, and standing on top of the Union Square subway entrance. Several people could be seen being placed into custody. 

Responding officers, however, were not in riot gear, wearing helmets, or carrying shields – a clear difference from how they responded to George Floyd protests. 

Police could be heard using loudspeakers to tell the crowd that if they disperse, they will not be arrested. 

Some of the people at Union Square could be seen standing on top of cars and trucks.  

New York City subways are bypassing Union Square station.     

Much of the crowd was milling about peacefully. 

By 4:40 p.m., the crowd had thinned out significantly, but there were still plenty of people in the area. 

So far there have been no reports of serious injuries.   

Check back soon for more on this developing story.