Twitch streamer Kai Cenat's 'giveaway' sparks chaos in Manhattan

A YouTube blogger's announcement of a video games console giveaway sparked chaotic scenes and a large constabulary effect successful New York City connected Friday.

A assemblage of astir 2,000 converged astatine Union Square successful anticipation of escaped PlayStation 5 devices from personage Twitch streamer Kai Cenat.

Police told section media the influencer and others had been detained.

People were seen hurling objects, tearing down barricades, and climbing atop the bid presumption entrance's roof.

Subway trains were passing the Union Square station, the BBC's US spouse CBS reported, arsenic constabulary urged radical to debar the area.

There person been nary reports of superior injuries truthful far.

People archetypal gathered astatine astir 13:00 section clip (17:00 GMT) aft Mr Cenat told his 4 cardinal subscribers helium would beryllium handing retired 300 PlayStations.

By 15:00, hundreds had piled connected to streets surrounding 1 of New York City's busiest bid stops.

They climbed cars and threw objects astatine responding constabulary officers. One idiosyncratic was said to person unleashed a occurrence extinguisher amid the chaos.

Police attempted to power the crowd.

New York Police Department officials called for a "Level 4" mobilisation, meaning astir 1,000 officers were yet deployed to the scene.

Several radical were taken into custody. According to a CBS affiliate, Mr Cenat did not person a licence for the event.

He was taken into constabulary custody astir 17:00.