Current:Home > reviewsTwitch Streamer Kai Cenat Taken Into Police Custody at Massive New York Giveaway Event -Core Financial Strategies
Twitch Streamer Kai Cenat Taken Into Police Custody at Massive New York Giveaway Event
View
Date:2025-04-23 18:10:04
A Twitch streamer is facing legal trouble after his New York City giveaway event derailed into chaos.
Kai Cenat, who promised to gift video game consoles and other electronic devices to fans, was taken into police custody on Aug. 4 after a massive crowd formed in Manhattan's Union Square and pandemonium broke out, according to NBC News. The event attracted a "couple thousand people," police told NBC New York.
Cenat has not been charged for the incident.
However, the New York Police Department said in a press conference that, depending on its legal department's guidance, Cenat could be charged with inciting a riot. E! News has reached out to Cenat's rep for comment but hasn't heard back.
Cenat, 21, announced the giveaway on Aug. 2 on his Twitch social media page, where he has over six million followers. In the clip, which has amassed over two million views, Cenat said that he and a group of friends would drive to the park "in a big ass truck" to distribute PlayStation 5, PCs, headphones and more.
On the day of the event, Cenat filmed himself in a vehicle heading toward Union Square, holding up a stack of gift cards to the camera. However, upon peeking outside the car's windows and being told of the gathering crowd in the area, the influencer issued a warning to those watching on Twitch.
"I'm telling you, it's a lot of y'all out there right now," he said. "Everybody who is out there, make sure y'all are safe…We're gonna make sure this is safe. We not gonna do nothing until it's safe. We gotta make sure it's safe, everybody's good."
As he pulled up closer to the park, Cenat told followers to look out for themselves.
"I know y'all here with me, but what goes on from here on out, everybody for themselves," he said. "It's a war out there, man."
The camera filmed Cenat being pushed along the flow of the crowd, before the video eventually went blurry and offline. Once the video feed picked up back again, Cenat could be heard yelling to the crowd, "Be quiet. Hold on. Let's go over there. Y'all gotta make some space," before the video went dark again.
The NYPD said the giveaway was not coordinated with authorities, and that people sustained injuries due to the crowd. Police said a city bus full of people were arrested from the event.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (873)
Related
- Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
- A trip to the Northern Ireland trade border
- Elon Musk apologizes after mocking laid-off Twitter employee with disability
- Inside Clean Energy: Here Are 3 States to Watch in 2021
- Behind on your annual reading goal? Books under 200 pages to read before 2024 ends
- Adele Pauses Concert to Survey Audience on Titanic Sub After Tragedy at Sea
- Democrats urge Republicans to rescind RFK Jr. invitation to testify
- Kiss Dry, Chapped Lips Goodbye With This Hydrating Lip Mask That Serayah Swears By
- Kylie Jenner Shows Off Sweet Notes From Nieces Dream Kardashian & Chicago West
- Trains, Walking, Biking: Why Germany Needs to Look Beyond Cars
Ranking
- A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
- China is building six times more new coal plants than other countries, report finds
- Kylie Jenner and Stormi Webster Go on a Mommy-Daughter Adventure to Target
- Supreme Court to hear case that threatens existence of consumer protection agency
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- A new movement is creating ways for low-income people to invest in real estate
- Businessman Who Almost Went on OceanGate Titanic Dive Reveals Alleged Texts With CEO on Safety Concerns
- Most Agribusinesses and Banks Involved With ‘Forest Risk’ Commodities Are Falling Down on Deforestation, Global Canopy Reports
Recommendation
Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
Family of Titanic Sub Passenger Hamish Harding Honors Remarkable Legacy After His Death
A new movement is creating ways for low-income people to invest in real estate
Warming Trends: Americans’ Alarm Grows About Climate Change, a Plant-Based Diet Packs a Double Carbon Whammy, and Making Hay from Plastic India
Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
Titanic Sub Passenger, 19, Was Terrified to Go But Agreed for Father’s Day, Aunt Says
Distributor, newspapers drop 'Dilbert' comic strip after creator's racist rant
A new movement is creating ways for low-income people to invest in real estate