New York City police are searching for five suspects wanted in a “gang assault” on former New York Gov. David Paterson and his 20-year-old stepson on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, according to officials.
The attack, which unfolded around 8:35 p.m. Friday by 96th Street and 2nd Avenue, began as a “verbal altercation” between the suspects and the 70-year-old former governor and his stepson, the NYPD said.
In this March 8, 2010, file photo, New York Governor David Paterson sits during a town hall meeting at Borough Hall in Brooklyn, New York.
Mario Tama/Getty Images, FILE
Former Governor of New York David Paterson and his 20-year-old son are injured by five suspects at approximately 8:30 p.m. in front of 1871 2nd Avenue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York, on Oct. 4, 2024.
Kyle Mazza/Shutterstock
The suspects had had “a previous interaction” with the stepson, Paterson’s spokesperson told ABC New York station WABC, noting that the attack took place near the victims’ home.
The suspects hit the victims in the face and body, police said.
Paterson and his stepson managed fight off the attackers, the spokesperson said, and the suspects fled on foot, according to police.
The New York City Police Department is asking for the public’s help to locate suspects in an assault on Manhattan’s Upper East Side on Oct. 4, 2024.
NYPD
Paterson and his stepson were both taken to the hospital in stable condition, police said, and they’ve since been released, the spokesperson said.
Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor of New York from 2008 to 2010. Paterson was New York’s first African American governor and the nation’s first legally blind governor.
In this Jan. 1, 2023, file photo, former Governor David Paterson attends the Inauguration ceremony for New York statewide officials at Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany, New York.
Lev Radin/Sipa USA via AP, FILE
Paterson and his wife “are thankful for the quick response time from the police and the outpouring of support they have received,” Paterson’s spokesperson said, adding, “The Governor’s only request is that people refrain from attempting to use an unfortunate act of violence for their own personal or political gain.”
“Governor Paterson’s main concern today is Kodai Senga and the New York Mets, but we will provide any additional updates as necessary,” the spokesperson added.
The NYPD asks anyone with information to call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS or submit information online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org.