Why Did Kai Cenat Get Arrested? Riot, Charges, and Apology

Kai Cenat was arrested on August 4, 2023, after a prize giveaway he promoted in Manhattan’s Union Square drew thousands of people and devolved into a riot. Police charged the Twitch streamer with one felony and two misdemeanors tied to inciting the chaos. The case was dismissed in May 2024 after he paid $55,000 in restitution and posted a public apology.

The Union Square Giveaway That Turned Into a Riot

Cenat announced the event on a Twitch stream and promoted it through his website and Instagram, advertising a 4 p.m. meetup at Union Square Park where he would give away PlayStation 5 consoles, computers, gift cards, and other prizes.¹ The gathering was not sanctioned by the NYPD, and no permit had been obtained.²

A crowd began forming around 1:30 p.m. By 3 p.m., thousands had packed the area, with pre-event estimates having ranged anywhere from 500 to 10,000 people. Attendees began throwing chairs, traffic cones, bottles, cans, and rocks. Some climbed statues and construction fences. Others tore down barriers at a subway station entrance and stole tools, fire extinguishers, and a pickaxe from a construction site. NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey was pelted with bottles and a water cooler, and the department declared a level 4 mobilization, its highest emergency response level.³

Three police officers and four civilians were injured.¹ Landscaping across the park was destroyed, vehicles were damaged, and mobile vendors, in the words of Union Square Partnership executive director Julie Stein, “bore the brunt of any damage.”⁴ Police took Cenat into custody at 4:29 p.m. while he was livestreaming from a vehicle near the scene.³ In total, 65 people were arrested, 30 of them juveniles.²

The Charges Against Him

Cenat was charged with three offenses: riot in the first degree, a Class E felony involving causing public injury and damage; inciting a riot, a misdemeanor; and unlawful assembly, also a misdemeanor.¹ He received a desk appearance ticket and was released from custody overnight. Two of his associates, Denzel Dennis and Muktar Din, were also charged in connection with the event.⁵

How the Case Was Dismissed

On May 7, 2024, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office announced it would not prosecute Cenat, Dennis, or Din. The three accepted an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal.⁶ The conditions were:

Cenat paid $55,000 in restitution, while Dennis and Din each paid $1,049.50. The combined $57,099 went to the Union Square Partnership for landscaping damage and staff cleanup hours.⁷
Cenat had to post a public apology on Snapchat and keep it visible for 24 hours. Dennis and Din were required to repost it.⁸
None of the three could have any new arrests since the incident.⁹

The case was officially dismissed on approximately May 8, 2024, once the apology had been posted for the required 24 hours. A spokesperson for the DA’s office confirmed that all restitution payments had been made.⁶

What Cenat Said in His Apology

In the Snapchat statement, Cenat said his promotion of the giveaway “created an unintentional dangerous situation.” He apologized “for the disruption and damage to the community, the park, the vehicles, and the storefronts in the area” and to “the first responders who had to endure the backlash of this irresponsible promotion and work to restore calm.” He added that he “should have thought more about the post before I announced it” and called the behavior of some attendees “unacceptable.”⁸

About a week after the riot, he had posted a video to his Twitch channel saying he was “beyond disappointed” by attendees who jumped on cars and threw bottles.⁸ In the formal apology, he wrote: “I have learned a very valuable lesson that social media is a very powerful tool to do good, but it can also cause dangerous, unwanted situations if it is not used properly.”⁵

A Separate 2026 Incident in Atlanta

The Union Square arrest is sometimes confused with a later incident in Atlanta that did not involve Cenat being arrested. In June 2026, in-person auditions he planned for “Streamer University,” a content-creator program he launched in 2025, drew crowds in the Summerhill neighborhood even after the Atlanta Police Department canceled the June 16 event citing “overwhelming hype” and capacity concerns. Police reported seven arrests over two days on charges including disorderly conduct, obstruction, and simple battery on a law enforcement officer, and described the gathering as a “large unpermitted gathering” without explicitly linking it to the Streamer University event. Cenat urged attendees to maintain order, and the auditions were rescheduled for June 17 at State Farm Arena.¹⁰

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ABC7 New York. Union Square Crowds Kai Cenat Twitch
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CBS News New York. Kai Cenat Union Square Riot Case Dismissed
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amNewYork. Timeline of Union Square Riot
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NY1. Union Square Back to Normal as Police and Business Leaders Look to Future
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New York Times. Kai Cenat Union Square Charges
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PIX11. Kai Cenat to Have Union Square Riot Case Dismissed After Public Apology
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NBC News. Twitch Streamer Kai Cenat Won’t Be Prosecuted
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NBC New York. Kai Cenat No Prosecution Chaos NYC PlayStation Giveaway Union Square
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Fox 5 New York. Twitch Streamer Kai Cenat Will Not Be Charged Over Union Square Riot
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USA Today. Kai Cenat Streamer University Atlanta Audition Arrests