Man, woman charged with assaulting former NY Gov. Paterson and stepson claim they are victims

A antheral and pistillate charged with attacking erstwhile Gov. David Paterson and his stepson — lad of Guardian Angels laminitis Curtis Sliwa — during a bizarre late-night quarrel connected the Upper East Side are claiming they are the existent victims. 

Travor Nurse and Diamond Minter were arraigned successful Manhattan Criminal Court Tuesday, wherever their lawyers presented a starkly antithetic instrumentality connected the clash late Friday extracurricular a McDonald’s connected Second Ave adjacent E. 96th St.

Assistant District Attorney Zachary Campbell said 20-year-old Anthony Sliwa archetypal encountered a radical of youths earlier successful the nighttime portion walking his canine and argued with them for attempting to ascent a occurrence flight extracurricular his building. 

Later that night, portion retired walking with Paterson, the authoritative said, Sliwa re-encountered the radical by the accelerated nutrient edifice and got into different argument, astatine which constituent 2 NYCHA employees, Nurse and Minter, “took it upon themselves to intervene.”

Campbell said that Sliwa shoved Nurse, 40, into a vestibule, past traded swings with him and Minter, 34.

Former Gov. David Paterson, left, speaks to the media Saturday. Standing adjacent to Paterson is his brother, Daniel Paterson. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News)

Nurse allegedly past threw Sliwa to the ground, and 2 young boys, aged 12 and 13 — who person since been charged successful household court — began kicking and stomping connected him arsenic Minter allegedly held backmost Sliwa’s arms portion helium struggled to support himself. 

When the combat began to fizzle out, Nurse started to locomotion away, lone to crook backmost and smack Paterson successful the backmost of the caput with a closed fist, sending him crashing to the ground, the authoritative said. 

Nurse past swung again astatine Sliwa, who had conscionable gotten up from the ground, Campbell said. 

Sliwa, whose mother, Mary Paterson, was antecedently joined to the Guardian Angels laminitis and Republican campaigner for mayor, was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell and treated for symptom to his face. He needed stitches for a bust lip. Paterson, 70, New York’s archetypal Black governor, who served from 2008 to 2010, was treated for symptom to his head, according to tribunal docs. 

Anthony Sliwa is pictured successful an undated photo. (@CurtisSliwa via X.com)

Nurse’s lawyer, Jeff Chabrowe, vehemently protested his client’s innocence and said Nurse walked distant from the dustup with much terrible injuries than anyone progressive — dislocating his enarthrosis successful 4 places and suffering a ample gash supra his eye. 

Chabrowe referenced a elaborate vigor interrogation Paterson, who is legally blilnd, gave connected Monday successful which helium referenced his stepson’s achromatic loop successful jiu-jitsu and described Sliwa slamming 1 of the juvenile’s heads into a window.  

“He was capable to support himself rather successfully,” Chabrowe said successful court.

Minter’s nationalist defender, Zachary Wechsler, said his lawsuit has nary transgression grounds and intervened erstwhile she saw 2 adults accosting children.

Diamond Minter successful constabulary custody leaving the 23rd Precinct stationhouse Monday. (Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News)

Prosecutors charged Nurse with 1 number of battle and Minter with 2 counts. Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Pamela Goldsmith acceptable Nurse’s bail astatine $50,000 enslaved and released Minter connected supervised release. She issued orders of extortion mandating they enactment distant from the erstwhile politician and his stepson. 

The DA’s bureau is expected to contiguous the lawsuit to a expansive assemblage connected Friday. 

Travor Nurse is pictured successful constabulary custody leaving the NYPD 23rd Precinct stationhouse successful Manhattan connected Monday, October 7, 2024. (Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News)

After the hearing, Chabrowe told the Daily News Sliwa was the superior assailant and that his lawsuit was attempting to travel to the children’s aid. 

“My lawsuit arrived aft the fact, erstwhile erstwhile Governor Paterson and Mr. Sliwa were already successful a confrontation with immoderate juveniles, and was trying to enactment arsenic a peacemaker erstwhile Mr. Sliwa attacked him,” Chabrowe. 

“I’m assured that aft further investigation, the DA’s bureau volition surely spot this and we look guardant to clearing his name.”