New Delhi, Feb. 26 -- A large snowball fight in New York City following a blizzard, which culminated in police officers being struck by snow and ice, has sparked tensions between Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his own police department.

Mamdani, on Wednesday at a press conference, brushed off the incident in Washington Square Park on Monday as children enjoying themselves, while the New York Police Department and its commissioner, Jessica Tisch, have treated the matter more seriously, according to AP.

Tisch condemned the event as "disgraceful" and "criminal." Meanwhile, the patrol officers' union quickly used the incident to argue that respect for law enforcement has diminished under the new mayor.

The Police Benevolent Association described...