A court downgraded the allegations against a ShopRite worker, on Monday, who slapped former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the back.
Giuliani wanted the man to be prosecuted and jailed, who also yelled “dirty curse words” at him. The worker also called him a “lady killer,” referring to Giuliani’s personal views about abortion.
Giuliani Attacker is Now Free
Daniel Gill, 39, slapped Giuliani in the back when he was standing in a group in a Staten Island grocery store, leading to the arrest of the store worker.
Though Gill walked out of the court free as the judges downgraded his charges.
Initially, Gill was charged with second-degree assault, but the court revised the charges to third-degree assault, second-degree harassment, and third-degree menacing.
Judge Gerianne Abriano denied the request of Staten Island’s District Attorney for a supervised release and instead let the culprit go freely.
During the court hearing, Gill’s defense attorney Susan Platis noted it was not a slap, but a “tap on the back.” So, even calling it third-degree assault is not justifiable as it was unlikely to cause any injury, Platis added.
Lawyer for ShopRite Employee Blasts Rudy Giuliani for Exaggerating ‘Assault,’ Says Client ‘Merely Patted’ Him https://t.co/kcuj2FFr6K via @mediaite
— Jeff Quinton (@JeffQuinton) June 28, 2022
Furthermore, Gill’s lawyer mentioned a close associate of Giuliani went after Gill after the episode and punched him in the chest, yelling he would be “locked up.”
On the other hand, the prosecutor argued it was an aggressive assault against a senior citizen.
Darren Albanese, the Assistant District Attorney, said Giuliani had to step forward to balance himself after the attack, which also caused him pain.
This court proceeding came after Giuliani’s comments, which noted Gill could have easily killed him, had he been knocked to the floor. So, he should be locked up immediately, Giuliani insisted ahead of the court hearing.
Defense called it a “tap,” prosecutors called it a “slap.” Daniel Gill, charged with assaulting Rudy Giuliani at a Staten Island Shop Rite yesterday, walked out of court without commenting to reporters. He was released on his own recognizance. https://t.co/Hla3dosR6j
— brittany.kriegstein (@BKriegstein) June 27, 2022
Giuliani is Unhappy With the Court Ruling
However, the former mayor seemed unsatisfied with the court’s decision.
He stated the video footage was “a little deceptive” as it showed just a hand on his back, which was not the case in reality. Instead, Giuliani said he was hit “very, very hard.”
In addition to that, Giuliani asserted it is very common for older people to die just because of falling to the ground, which could have happened to him as well.
Rita Rugova-Johnson, the eyewitness of the incident who was standing next to the victim, noted she was “stunned” when a person came out of nowhere to attack an older person, followed by continuous yelling.
Giuliani, who has also served as an adviser to Donald Trump, said he was campaigning in the gubernatorial elections for his son, Andrew Giuliani, when the unpleasant event happened.
The former mayor also predicted this behavior of the court would also urge other pro-choice people to step forward to attack conservative figures.
Meanwhile, ShopRite suspended Gill from the service, noting the store has a “zero tolerance” policy regarding any aggression.
