NEW YORK — Charges of inciting a riot will be dropped against online streamer Kai Cenat after he agreed to pay compensation and apologize for drawing thousands of fans to New York’s Union Square last year, prosecutors said.
Cenat, 22, and two co-defendants agreed to pay more than $57,000 in restitution and apologize on social media for the Aug. 4 melee that followed Cenat’s announcement that he would be there distributing video game consoles and other devices electronics, the Manhattan district attorney’s office said. Tuesday.
After Cenat, who has millions of followers on Twitch, YouTube and other platforms, announced the giveaway, teenage fans who showed up broke car windows, climbed onto buses, threw paint cans and set off fire extinguishers. Dozens of people were arrested and at least four were taken to hospitals with injuries.
Cenat apologized on Snapchat on Tuesday for the “disruption and damage to the community, park, vehicles and storefronts in the area.”
The streamer, who was born and raised in New York City, posted: “I wanted to do something cool and fun for people and I didn’t think it would turn into something that would hurt the city, and I should have thought more about the post before I announce it.”
Cenat faced charges of inciting a riot and promoting an illegal assembly. M’Niyah Lynn, a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, said the case would be officially dismissed after Snapchat’s apology lasted 24 hours. Cenat’s co-defendants were also ordered to publish the apology, as well as pay about $1,000 each, Lynn said.
Cenat was ordered to pay $55,000 to the Union Square Partnership to cover cleaning costs and landscaping repairs.
Cenat had already apologized for the chaos days later.
“Beyond disappointed in anyone who became disruptive that day bro,” Cenat said on Twitch.
Cenat said he has watched videos of people jumping into cars “and I ask myself when I watch the video, ‘Why? Like, why? Do you feel what I’m saying?
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