(Updated as of 10/11/2024 at 2:45 p.m. ET)
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Sometimes being a good samaritan and even serving in public office won’t protect you against physical attacks in your own city. For former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson, Anthony Chester Sliwa, a simple night out walking their dog turned life-threatening. Now, video footage of the incident has been made public.
According to Paterson, Sliwa was out walking the dog in his New York City neighborhood when he spotted three people climbing up the side of a building. Sliwa reportedly told them to get down, which sparked a brief but relatively calm argument between them, according to AP News.
The three juveniles eventually retreated, and Sliwa thought that would be the end of things. But clearly, the juveniles had other plans.
CNN reports that 45 minutes after the initial interaction, Sliwa and 70-year-old Paterson were seen walking down 97th Street when the same teens spotted and ran up on them. But the three original assailants they encountered brought backup.
Paterson, who is legally blind, said about nine people in total showed up to confront him and his stepson about the earlier incident. “We have a big argument about whether or not they should be climbing up the building and whether or not it was our business,” he said.
“At which point a woman who was clearly an adult, at least in her 30s, comes into the situation,” he continued. The woman then “confronts my stepson to the point where she’s practically pushing him.” Paterson said she threw the first punch.
From there, a whole blown fight broke out. In video footage taken by a bystander, Sliwa and Paterson can be seen on the ground while several suspects kick, punch, and beat them. Eventually bystanders intervene and break up the fight.
Even though Paterson and Sliwa were dangerously out-numbered, the father-son duo managed to defend themselves. “I got punched in the face a couple of times, and I got punched in the shoulder,” Paterson said, “But the person who punched me on the shoulder, I threw them against the McDonalds window myself.”
Paterson held his own, all things considered, but he gives much credit to his son, whom he said is trained in martial arts. The father-son duo eventually escaped their attackers and called 911.
When authorities arrived to the scene around 8:30 p.m. ET, they saw a 20-year-old man with injuries to the face and a 70-year-old man with injuries to the head, according to the New York City Police Department. The identities of both victims would later be confirmed as Sliwa and Paterson.
Less than 24 hours after the attack, two of the juveniles turned themselves in to authorities, according to the New York Post. The suspects, aged 12 and 13 years old, now face second-degree assault charges, police sources said. A third teen spoke to police but was eventually let go after it was determined he did not participate in the attack on Sliwa and Paterson, according to the Post.
In the end, Paterson and Sliwa were able to walk away from the fight with nothing more then a few bruises and cuts. Though they were attacked for doing what they believed was right, Paterson said it doesn’t change his love for the city. “This is New York City,” the 70-year-old said. “I’ve lived here just about all of my life. I love this city.”
Paterson became New York’s first Black governor in 2008.
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