Former NY Gov. David Paterson, stepson attacked by group of 5 on Upper East Side
NEW YORK - Former New York Governor David Paterson, 70, and his 20-year-old stepson were assaulted on the Upper East Side Friday after a verbal altercation with five unidentified individuals, according to police.
The incident happened around 8:35 p.m. in front of 1871 2nd Avenue. The attackers hit both men multiple times before fleeing the scene.
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Both Paterson and his son suffered injuries to the face and head. Both were taken to a nearby hospital in stable condition.
"Anthony had five stitches put in his lower lip. He has a number of bruises. He was pretty badly injured in the confrontation," Paterson said.
Police say they are searching for five suspects, including a female with purple braids and four males.
"My stepson, Anthony Sliwa, was walking his dog on the other side of this building when he saw three rather young people climbing up the side of the building, which has been a way that people have been able to gain access to the building and either vandalize or rob the building in the past. He admonished them that he was going to call the police. They came down and they kind of had a brief argument," Paterson said.
"We had a big argument about whether or not they should be climbing up the building and whether or not it was our business, at which point a woman who was clearly an adult, at least in her 30s, comes into the situation and confronts my stepson," Paterson said.
Paterson said it turned into a huge physical confrontation and the former governor and his stepson were outnumbered.
According to police, neither Paterson nor his stepson knew the attackers.
No arrests have been made in connection with the attack.
In a statement, Paterson’s spokesperson, Sean Darcy, said: "Governor Paterson and his stepson were attacked this evening while taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson. They both suffered some injuries but were able to fight off their attackers. They are currently at Cornell Hospital as a precaution. They have already filed a police report and no further information is available at this time."
NEW YORK - MAY 20: Governor David Peterson at the El Museo del Barrio gala at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 20, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
The motive of the attack remains unknown.
David Paterson became New York's 55th governor in March 2008 after Eliot Spitzer resigned, and he served until December 2010. As a Democrat, Paterson made history as both the state's first legally blind governor and its first African-American governor.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).