A man was hospitalized following a shooting at Washington Square Park during New York City’s Pride Parade, leading to intense brawls and 22 arrests.
New York City, Bollywood Fever: A man was shot and hospitalized after a violent brawl erupted at Washington Square Park during New York City’s Pride Parade. The 20-year-old victim is now recovering from multiple gunshot wounds, as police raced to the scene to quell the intense fighting that broke out in the early hours of Monday morning.
Both 5th Avenue and East 8th Street in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, were closed off shortly after 2 a.m., with bullet markers visible on the ground. Authorities swarmed the area, working to determine the cause of the chaos and identify the shooter responsible for wounding the unnamed man in his buttocks and right hand.
One witness told ABC7, “The first one, I was running. I heard two, but I didn’t know if it was a shot or not, I thought it was like a firework or something because it’s Pride, you know.”
The victim was swiftly transported to a local hospital, and police continue their search for the gunman.
Footage from the weekend’s Pride celebrations showed multiple fights breaking out late Sunday and into Monday morning, as massive crowds of unruly revelers turned up for the festivities. A total of 22 people were arrested during Pride and the ensuing chaos—16 of whom received desk appearance tickets and were released, while six remain in custody with charges pending.
“This is really crazy, Pride is not supposed to be like this,” a witness told the news outlet. “We’re supposed to come out and enjoy and you know just love one another and come together. And we hope moving forward there will be no more violence and craziness going on.”
Video from the scene shows large groups of partygoers engaged in fistfights and hair-pulling battles, tackling each other to the ground. Crowds gathered to watch the chaos unfold, with many pulling out their phones to record the Lower Manhattan showdowns.
In one clip, a woman with blood staining her white shirt lunges at another reveler as the crowds cheered. Another video shows two men throwing punches before one stumbles to the ground. Moments later, two women swing at each other while bystanders attempt to break up the brawl.
At one point, a woman was pushed off the edge of the park’s water fountain, and another woman was dragged around by her attacker after being thrown to the ground. Bystanders quickly gathered to help the bloodied woman, who held her head as she stumbled away from the fight.
Shards of smashed glass littered the ground where people walked barefoot after losing their shoes during the altercations.
Before the violence overshadowed the celebrations, separate footage captured multiple women twerking on top of a vehicle and one person grinding against a light pole. As night fell, the NYPD played a loudspeaker recording declaring Washington Square Park’s closure, ordering revelers to leave the site and causing further tensions between police and partygoers.
It was not immediately clear if any arrests were made as a result of the fighting.
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