The former New York governor and his stepson were attacked by a group of teens on the Upper East Side, according to police officials. News 4’s Erica Byfield reports.
A man and a woman were arrested for their role in an attack on former New York Gov. David Patterson and his stepson in Manhattan, bringing the total number of those facing charges to four.
The two suspects, 40-year-old Travor Nurse and 34-year-old Diamond Minter, were both charged Monday with gang assault, according to police. Nurse also faces a charge of second-degree assault if a victim over 65 years old. Attorney information for Nurse and Minter, both of whom are NYCHA employees, was not immediately clear.
Those arrests came two days after two boys, age 12 and 13, had been arrested for the attack on Paterson and his 20-year-old stepson on the Upper East Side Friday night. The former governor and his stepson were beaten and bruised in the evening sidewalk brawl.
Investigators initially said they were searching for a total of five people in connection with the assault. As of Monday evening, four people had been charged. It was unclear if police were till searching for any other possible suspects connected to the attack.
The former governor described the incident in detail Saturday afternoon, telling reporters that he had been "punched in the face a couple times," and that his stepson, Anthony Chester Sliwa, required five stitches in his lip.
Paterson, who is legally blind, and Sliwa were walking the family dog on Second Avenue near East 96th Street around 8:30 p.m. at the time of the attack. The assault was preempted by an altercation that took place about 45 minutes earlier, Paterson said.
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According to the former governor, Sliwa was walking the dog when he noticed a group of teens climbing up the fire escape to a building.
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"Which has been a way that people have been able to gain access to the building and to either vandalize or rob the building in the past," Paterson explained. Sliwa, he said, admonished the boys.
Paterson joined his stepson for a walk less than an hour later, and that's when they bumped into the same group of teens. But this time, Paterson said, the teens had back-up, which included a couple of adults.
"[A woman] threw the first punches in the actual fight and another adult was the second person to throw punches," he said.
Both Paterson and Sliwa were taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries, including bruises and cuts. They were released by Saturday morning.
"Governor Paterson and his family are happy that these two adults were caught. Friday night was a traumatic experience for the Governor and his stepson and they are looking forward to putting this entire thing behind them as quickly as possible," a spokesperson for Paterson said Monday.
Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, assuming the post after Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned in a scandal involving sex workers. Paterson was New York's first and so far only Black governor.
