Two boys, aged 12 and 13, have been arrested for their roles in the assault of former New York Governor David Paterson and his stepson.
The 70-year-old ex-governor and his stepson, Anthony Sliwa, 20, were reportedly attacked around 8:30 p.m. Friday while walking on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Both received hospital treatment for minor facial injuries sustained in the attack.
Paterson, who is legally blind, also suffered additional injuries to his body. The boys were charged with gang assault, though their identities have not been released because they are minors.
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Authorities revealed that at least five people were involved in the incident and are relying on public assistance to gather more information about the attack.
Paterson, a Democrat who served as governor from 2008 to 2010 after Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in a prostitution scandal, was the state’s first Black governor.
Recounting the events, Paterson said that his stepson had initially encountered some of the assailants while walking the family dog. He warned them he would call the police if they didn’t stop climbing a fire escape on Second Avenue.
Later, Paterson and Sliwa, the son of Guardian Angels anti-crime group founder Curtis Sliwa, went for a walk, encountered the group, and engaged in an argument before two of them attacked.
Paterson said his stepson fought off several attackers, but sustained a facial cut that required stitches.
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