Two teenages boy, ages 12 and 13, were arrested on Saturday following an assault on former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
Police said the boys were arrested on gang assault charges one day after Paterson and his 20-year-old stepson were beaten and bruised in an evening sidewalk brawl. Investigators had been looking for a total of five people in connection with the assault.
“Governor Paterson and his family are glad to see the suspects turned themselves in. We hope that the young people involved learn something from this unfortunate encounter," a statement from Paterson's spokesperson said Sunday. "The Governor is grateful to see the kids' parents hold them to account and would also like to thank the NYPD for their strong work.“
The former governor described the incident in detail Saturday, 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.
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.
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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 bruises and cuts. They were released by the next morning.
