Former Gov. David Paterson and his son-in-law Anthony Sliwa transformed into a dynamic duo as they fought off thugs who attacked them during an altercation on the Upper East Side, the 70-year-old said Saturday. Ta.
Patterson, who is legally blind, said of the eight people, “He punched me in the face a few times and punched me in the shoulder, and the person who punched me in the shoulder threw me into the McDonald's window.” Friday afternoon, night attack.
Sliwa, 20, the son of Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, is trained in martial arts and was said to have stopped as many attackers as possible near East 97th Street and Second Avenue. Patterson said.
“But then the game went 4-on-1, 5-on-1, 6-1, and he was slammed to the ground, stunned by the experience,” Patterson said in a press conference.
An uproar broke out when Patterson and Sliwa took their dog Bella for an evening walk and saw a group of teenagers climbing the fire escape.
Patterson said Sliwa advised them out of fear for their safety and that of others.
“They came down, kind of had a little altercation, and that was it,” said Patterson, who served as New York's governor from 2008 to 2010.
About 45 minutes later, Patterson and Sliwa were walking down East 97th Street when they encountered the same group of teenagers, but the group had grown to about nine people, Patterson said.
“We got into a big argument about whether or not they should climb the building, whether it was our job. At that point, a woman who was clearly an adult, at least in her 30s, “He showed up and confronted my son-in-law,” he said, “and practically pushed him into a McDonald's window.
“When the fight first started, she was the first one to throw a punch,” Patterson said, adding, “The second one was another adult.”
Although they were outnumbered, his son-in-law did everything in his power to protect him.
“When the fight first started, he pulled someone away from me, but then later in the fight there were just too many people for him to try to deal with…The situation couldn't have gotten worse than this. I'm really lucky that I did,” Patterson said.
Patterson boasted that he was still able to defeat the attacker himself.
“On the other hand, I got into a fight with a kid and ended up throwing him to the ground so he could come and grab my son,” Patterson said. “A neighbor was passing by and was able to back up and call 911.”
Patterson said Sliwa received five stitches on her lower lip and multiple bruises. Sliwa declined to be interviewed.
“He sustained quite serious injuries in the collision,” Patterson said. “He's walking around and I think he's more shocked than anything by the fact that it happened.”
Patterson said she had not yet received a call from the mayor about the attack and said she believed the NYPD would apprehend the suspect, adding that she would not have second thoughts about taking her dog for an evening walk.
“I really feel like the NYPD is going to figure out who these people are and make sure the justice system deals with them,” he said.
In the end, Patterson made a bold attack.
“This is New York City,” he said. “I've lived here almost all my life. I love this city.”
