Manhattan district prosecutor Alvin Bragg announced on April 17th that Roberto Sessoms, who was arrested during the Union Square riot last year, has been sentenced to 2 to 4 years in prison for attacking police officers.
Sessoms, a 31-year-old resident of Queens, was not ultimately convicted for the Union Square riot, but rather for charges related to biting, kicking, and spitting on five New York City police officers after his arrest. He pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree attempted assault on March 20th and was sentenced to 2 to 4 years in prison on April 17th, where he will serve his time in a state prison.
The riot occurred on August 4th last year when gaming live streamer Kai Carlo Cenat announced a free giveaway of PS5 gaming consoles at Union Square. The event spiraled out of control, leading to dozens of arrests and several police officers getting injured.
On that day, Sessoms was arrested at 4:30 pm for disorderly conduct and placed on a bus to be transported to the precinct of the police station. While on the bus, he first bit the legs of two police officers, causing them to bleed. Subsequently, he kicked another officer in the stomach, causing the officer to hit the bus railing, injuring his back and nearly falling out of the bus. He then kicked another officer in the face and bit two fingers of the fifth officer, leading to bleeding. Sessoms was convicted for these actions and not for the disorderly conduct related to the Union Square riot.
After the incident, social media influencer Cenat fled the scene but was later arrested and faces two counts of inciting a riot.
Editor: Zheng Hua