Kai Cenat's riot charges dropped after he apologizes and pays for Union Square mayhem

NEW YORK (AP) — Charges of inciting a riot will be dropped against online streamer Kai Cenat after he agreed to pay restitution and apologize for luring thousands of fans to New York's Union Square last year, prosecutors said.

Cenat, 22, and two codefendants agreed to pay more than $57,000 in restitution and apologize on social media for the Aug. 4 mayhem that followed Cenat's announcement he would be there giving away video game consoles and other electronic devices, the Manhattan district attorney's office said Tuesday.

After Cenat, who has millions of followers on Twitch, YouTube and other platforms, announced the giveaway, the teenage fans who showed up bashed car windows, climbed on buses, threw paint cans, and set off fire extinguishers. Scores of people were arrested and at least four were taken to hospitals with injuries.

Cenat apologized on Snapchat on Tuesday for “the disruption and damage to the community, the park, the vehicles, and the storefronts in the area.”