People arrested in a night of mayhem near Times Square sprained a police officer’s wrist, hurled bottles at one another and carried at least one knife during a sprawling brawl that left four people shot, according to court documents released Tuesday.
One man curled his hands into fists and cursed at officers, another refused to move out of the way as a sergeant tried to investigate one of the shootings, and other defendants blocked sidewalks and streets, according to police accounts that emerged as at least 21 of some 33 people arrested were arraigned.
Plea and bail information wasn’t immediately available. The charges mainly included disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, though some defendants faced other charges ranging from assault to marijuana possession.
None of those arraigned was charged in the shootings, which wounded a man and three women.
Police said they were looking for at least one person in connection with one of the shootings and had leads in a second shooting. Commissioner Raymond Kelly declined to give specifics for fear of jeopardizing the investigation.
Police said hundreds of young people spilled into midtown Manhattan near Times Square early Monday in what has become a raucous annual ritual on the weekend of the New York International Auto Show. Kelly said Tuesday some of those involved this year skipped the auto show altogether and headed straight for Times Square.
Besides the 33 arrested, another 23 were released after getting summonses or juvenile reports.
The yearly ruckus has spurred stabbings and dozens of arrests before, but Monday’s mayhem brought more arrests and gained more attention than usual. It came amid concerns about an uptick in murders, felony assaults and rapes in the first quarter of this year after several years of historic lows.
“New York cannot take one step backward in our fight to keep our streets safe,” Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said in a statement, adding that he was “extremely concerned about the threat to public safety these cases represent.”
Overall, crime in the city remains at record lows.