Police say two boys, ages 12 and 13, were arrested Saturday in connection with an attack on former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson
NEW YORK– Two boys, aged 12 and 13, were arrested on Saturday in connection with an attack on the former New York Governor David Paterson and his stepson, police said.
Paterson, 70, and his stepson, Anthony Sliwa, 20, were attacked Friday around 8:30 p.m. while walking on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They were treated in hospital for minor facial injuries.
Paterson, who is legally blind, also suffered injuries to his body.
The two boys were both charged with gang assault. Police have not identified them by name because they are minors. Authorities say at least five people were involved in the attack. They sought help from the public to learn more about the attack.
Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, taking the position after Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned over a prostitution scandal. He was the state’s first black governor.
Paterson said Saturday that his stepson was walking the family dog when he first encountered some of the attackers, and told them he would call police if they did not stop climbing the fire escape of a building on Second Ave.
Later, Paterson said, he and Sliwa, the son of Guardian Angels anti-crime group founder Curtis Sliwa, went for a walk, came across the group and argued with them before two of them attacked Paterson and his stepson.
Paterson said his son fought off several attackers, but ultimately suffered a cut on his face that required several stitches.