Staten Island man charged after allegedly slapping Rudy Giuliani 6/26/22 Transcript

Speaker 1: (00:00)
Tonight a man is facing charges, accused of assaulting former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani at a supermarket. Giuliani says it happened as he was campaigning for his son, Andrew, ahead of Tuesday’s primary election. CBS2’s Thalia Perez is live outside the grocery store in the Charleston section of Staten Island. Thalia.

Speaker 2: (00:19)
Well, Jessica, it happened here at the ShopRite on Veterans Road. Former mayor Giuliani, a Republican, says the man, a ShopRite employee, was angry over the Supreme’s Court decision on Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade. Giuliani says, fortunately he didn’t fall to the floor, but says the slap was so hard he almost lost his balance.

Speaker 3: (00:40)
All of a sudden, I felt this tremendous slap on my back or banging on my back. I didn’t know what it was.

Speaker 2: (00:48)
The 78-year-old says the smack almost knocked him off his feet and was followed by a verbal assault.

Speaker 3: (00:54)
And they were curse words and kind of threats. It seemed to have to do with abortion, with the fact that he thinks women are going to die. He looked either inebriated or under the influence of drugs. And he wouldn’t stop. So a number of the security people came over. They restrained him. And I said, “Call the police.”

Speaker 2: (01:27)
Police say it happened just before 3:30 PM, and the 39-year-old ShopRite associate was taken into custody. Shortly after the alleged assault, Andrew Giuliani, who is running for the Republican nomination for governor, tweeted, “Make New York safe again,” and said in a statement, in part, “The assault on my father, America’s Mayor, was over politics. We will not be intimidated by left wing attacks. As governor, I will stand up for law and order so that New Yorkers feel safe again.” Shoppers we spoke with at the store say they were surprised to hear about the assault.

Speaker 4: (02:02)
Violence is always unwarranted, regardless. People have to right the opinion, but not the right to molest anyone physically.

Speaker 5: (02:14)
Whether you agree with his views or not, nobody should really talk to him disrespectfully. And I just think it was a terrible thing for the neighborhood.

Speaker 2: (02:23)
Wakefern, the parent company of ShopRite, released a statement saying in part, “Store security observed the incident, reacted swiftly, and the police were notified. We have zero tolerance for aggression toward anyone.” After the incident, Giuliani refused medical attention. Police have identified the suspect as 39-year-old Daniel Gill of Staten Island. He’s charged with assault in the second degree. Live from the Charleston section of Staten Island, Thalia Perez, CBS2 News.

Speaker 1: (02:53)
All right, Thalia. Thank-