Mamdani refuses to pursue charges after NYPD officers injured during 'snowball' fight

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani declined Tuesday to push for the people who seriously injured two New York Police Department officers this week to be prosecuted. 

People in Washington Square Park in Manhattan threw snowballs at the officers Monday that were hard enough to cause head and face injuries severe enough to put the law enforcement officers in the hospital. 

Mamdani claimed NYPD officers and city employees should be treated with respect, but declined to suggest those responsible should face legal repercussions. 

"From the videos that I've seen, it looks like a snowball fight," he said. 

"They [the officers] have been keeping New Yorkers safe. They have also been at the heart of our efforts of digging New Yorkers' cars out of these kinds of conditions and ensuring that our ambulances, our buses, can keep functioning. Across this city, they and our entire city workforce deserve to be treated with respect."

The Police Benevolent Association slammed the mayor's remarks in a statement, claiming that dismissing the incident would only send a dangerous message to others who want to attack law enforcement officers, according to ABC-7.

"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 said. "By ignoring their injuries and dismissing the incident, the mayor has sent a disgraceful message to every police officer who serves this city."

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch also slammed the attack as "disgraceful" and "criminal," on Monday night and promised city detectives were investigating the incident.