Former Gov. David Paterson and his stepson, Anthony Sliwa, changed into the dynamic duo as they fought off ruffians who pounced on them throughout a spat on the Higher East Facet, the 70-year-old recounted Saturday.
“I received punched within the face a few occasions and I received punched on the shoulder, however the one that punched me on the shoulder, I threw them in opposition to the McDonalds window myself,” Paterson, who’s legally blind, mentioned of the 8:30 p.m. Friday night time assault.
Sliwa, 20, son of Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, is skilled in martial arts and was holding off as most of the attackers as he might round close to East 97th Avenue and Second Avenue, Paterson mentioned.
“However then it turned 4 to 1, 5 to 1, six to 1, and he was knocked to the bottom, and dazed by the expertise,” Paterson advised reporters at a press convention.
The brouhaha unfolded as Paterson and Sliwa took the household pup, Bella, for her nightly stroll and noticed a bunch of teenagers climbing a hearth escape.
Sliwa admonished them out of worry for the security of them and others, Paterson mentioned.
“They got here down, they’d form of a quick argument and that was the tip of that,” mentioned Paterson, who served as New York’s governor from 2008 to 2010.
About 45 minutes later, Paterson and Sliwa had been strolling on East 97th Avenue and bumped into the identical teenagers — however the group had swelled to about 9 folks, Paterson mentioned.
“We’ve got a giant argument about whether or not or not they need to be climbing up the constructing, about whether or not or not it’s our enterprise, at which level a girl who’s clearly an grownup, no less than in her 30s, comes into the state of affairs and confronts my stepson to the purpose the place she’s virtually pushing him into the window at McDonalds,” he mentioned.
“When the struggle first began, she threw the primary punch,” Paterson recalled, including “one other grownup was the second to throw punches.”
The pair was outnumbered however his stepson did every thing he might to guard him.
“When the struggle first began, he pulled someone off of me, after which later within the struggle, there have been simply too many individuals for him to attempt to deal with…it’s actually lucky that it wasn’t worse than it’s,” Paterson mentioned.
Paterson bragged was nonetheless capable of take an attacker down himself.
“However, I received in a struggle with some child who I used to be capable of throw to the bottom on the finish, and are available and seize my son,” Paterson mentioned. “One in all our neighbors was passing by and we had been capable of retreat and name 911.”
Sliwa ended up with 5 stitches in his decrease lips and a number of bruises, Paterson mentioned. Sliwa declined to be interviewed.
“He was fairly badly injured within the confrontation,” Paterson mentioned. “He’s strolling round and I believe greater than something, he’s shell-shocked from the truth that the incident occurred.”
Paterson, who mentioned the mayor hadn’t referred to as him but in regards to the assault, mentioned he has religion the NYPD will catch the suspects — and added he isn’t rethinking taking his canine for walks at night time.
“I actually really feel that the New York Metropolis police are going to search out out who these persons are and are going to make it possible for the justice system addresses them,” he mentioned.
Ultimately, Paterson took the assault in stride.
“That is New York Metropolis,” he mentioned. “I’ve lived right here nearly all of my life. I really like this metropolis.”
