Posted on 06/09/2026 3:54:56 AM PDT by dennisw
An NBA Finals watch party in Manhattan descended into violent chaos on Monday night as fans brawled and police deployed pepper spray in a desperate attempt to disperse the crowds.
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a short-notice big-screen viewing at Bryant Park after the visit of president Donald Trump to Madison Square Garden forced the cancelation of a previously-planned event outside the arena itself.
5,000 free tickets were dished out to Knicks fans to watch Game 3 of the NBA Finals, but scenes turned ugly midway through the night, leading to riot police being deployed.
It is understood the violent scenes unfolded on the streets outside the viewing party, and clips posted on social media saw huge crowds of Knicks fans brawling.
In one video, published by Freedom News TV, two men can be seen swinging punches at each other while being cheered on by a large group, before others jump in and join in with the violence.
Others are filming the fight, and at one point a man swings around a large tree branch, before a man dressed as a superhero tries to break up the violence.
Later in the clip, a long line of NYPD officers are deployed to restore order in the crowd, and one can be seen firing pepper spray towards the crowds, shoving away particularly rowdy fans.
The unsavory scenes occurred midway through the game, and did not appear to be sparked by the Knicks losing the Game 3 showdown against the San Antonio Spurs.
Later in the night, other fans were seen clambering over police cars as thousands of fans gathered outside the watch party.
Many of those involved in the violent scenes on the street appeared to have not been granted entry to the ticketed event on the grass inside Bryant Park.
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Mayor will blame the police for “intimidation”.
I am shocked.
And catch and release just tells them they’ll get away with anything including murder. Demons are here.
Snake Plisskin is locked and loaded...
More dumbshittery by mamdani voters. It’s just who they are,
Nobody could have seen that coming, nope, uh uh, no one.
The idiot mayor will probably give out 10,000 tickets next time. That should prevent the violence. 🙄🙄🙄
Them...avoid THEM.
Escape From NY is a documentary.
Do we have to look or do we just know know?
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