Two boys, ages 12 and 13, charged in assault on ex-NY Gov. David Paterson and his stepson

Authored by apnews.com and submitted by lala_b11

NEW YORK (AP) — Two boys, ages 12 and 13, were arrested Saturday in connection with an assault on former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson, police said.

Paterson, 70, and his stepson, Anthony Sliwa, 20, were attacked around 8:30 p.m. Friday while they were out for a walk on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They were treated at a hospital for minor injuries to the face.

Paterson, who is legally blind, also sustained injuries to his body.

The two boys were both charged with gang assault. Police did not identify them by name because they are minors. Authorities have said at least five people were involved in the attack. They sought help from the public to learn more about the assault.

Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, assuming the post after Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in 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 assailants, telling them he would summon the police if they did not stop climbing up the fire escape of a building on Second Avenue.

Later, Paterson said, he and Sliwa, the son of Guardian Angels anti-crime group founder Curtis Sliwa, went for a walk, encountered the group and argued with them before two of them attacked Paterson and his stepson.

Paterson said his son fought off multiple attackers, but he ended up with a cut to the face that required several stitches.

jbuttlickr on October 7th, 2024 at 04:30 UTC »

Years ago a friend and I were attacked by 5 teens (14-19) and 1 20-something on the UES as part of a gang initiation. The under-18s demanded money while the others just kept hitting us. I found out later from the ADA that this meant only the under-18s could be charged with robbery (in family court), and that robbery is a much more serious charge than gang assault, which is a misdemeanour. Pretty much everyone got a slap on the wrist

Sedert1882 on October 6th, 2024 at 23:18 UTC »

What's there to gain beating up a 70 year old man and his stepson. If I did this at age 13 my father would've cut my gonads off.

randomwanderingsd on October 6th, 2024 at 23:16 UTC »

Do the parents of the assailants get charges too?