Former governor and stepson battle attackers in New York

Former Gov. David Paterson and his stepson Anthony Sliwa formed a dynamic duo as they fought off bullies who pounced on them during an argument on the Upper East Side, the 70-year-old said Saturday.

“I got hit in the face and shoulder a few times, but the person who hit me in the shoulder I threw myself into the McDonald's window,” Paterson, who is legally blind, said of the 8:30 p.m. Friday night attack.

Sliwa, 20, son of Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, is trained in martial arts and fought off as many attackers as possible near East 97th Street and Second Avenue, Paterson said.

“But then it became four to one, five to one, six to one, and he was knocked to the ground and dazed from the experience,” Paterson told reporters at a news conference.

The commotion unfolded when Paterson and Sliwa took the family's puppy, Bella, on their nighttime walk and saw a group of teenagers climbing up a fire escape.

Sliwa admonished them out of fear for the safety of themselves and others, Paterson said.

“They got together, had kind of a brief argument and that was the end of it,” said Paterson, who served as governor of New York from 2008 to 2010.

About 45 minutes later, Paterson and Sliwa were walking on East 97th Street and encountered the same teenagers – but the group had grown to about nine people, Paterson said.

“We have a big argument about whether they should climb the building or not, about whether it's our business or not. Then a woman who is clearly an adult, at least in her 30s, comes into the situation and confronts my stepson to the point where she practically pushes him into the window at McDonalds,” he said.

“When the fight started, she threw the first punch,” Paterson recalled, adding, “Another adult was the second to throw punches.”

The couple were outnumbered, but his stepson did everything he could to protect them.

“When the fight started he pulled someone away from me and later in the fight there were just too many people for him to handle… it's really lucky it wasn't worse than it is,” said Paterson.

Paterson boasted that he could still defeat an attacker himself.

“On the other hand, I got into a fight with a child that I ended up throwing to the ground and then grabbing my son,” Paterson said. “One of our neighbors came over and we were able to pull away and call 911.”

Sliwa ended up suffering five stitches to his lower lip and multiple bruises, Paterson said. Sliwa declined an interview.

“He was injured pretty badly in the confrontation,” Paterson said. “He's walking around and I think he's shocked more than anything that the incident happened.”

Paterson, who said the mayor had not yet called him about the attack, said he was confident the NYPD would catch the suspects – adding that he wasn't thinking about walking his dog at night.

“I really feel like the NYPD is going to figure out who these people are and make sure the justice system deals with them,” he said.

In the end, Paterson handled the attack calmly.

“This is New York City,” he said. “I have spent almost my entire life here. I love this city.”