On Thursday, a man jumped on stage and allegedly attempted to stab New York Republican nominee for governor Rep. Lee Zeldin with a bladed weapon. He was quickly tackled by others on stage and the governor candidate finished his speech afterward.
David Jakubonis was released afterward after he was held overnight in Perinton Town Court with the charge of second-degree assault. He was released on his own recognizance the next day.
Zeldin predicted that he would be released quickly and he was. The former congressman is running as a tough-on-crime candidate and used it to push his agenda to help New Yorkers.
“His words as he tried to stab me a few hours ago were “you’re done”, but several attendees, including @EspositoforNY, quickly jumped into action & tackled the guy. Law enforcement was on the scene within minutes. The attacker will likely be instantly released under NY’s laws,” he wrote afterward.
The attacker, Jakubonis, is 43 years old and is from Fairport, N.Y., and is being charged with attempted assault in the second degree. He was said to be drunk at the time, according to the New York Post.
Zeldin was delivering a speech at the Veterans of Foreign Wars post on the subject of crime reduction. When the attack happened, the assailant was tackled by AMVETS national Director Joe Chenelly.
“His right hand came up, I assume out of his pocket, and he had a blade on his hand,” Chenelly told Fox News. “His fingers were like two finger holes in the blade and lunged at the congressman. And Congressman Zeldin blocked the first lunge. And then as he tried to lunge again, I grabbed him from behind and tackled him down to the ground and held him on the ground.”
Chenelly later spoke with the attacker after finding out he was an Iraq war veteran and offered to give him help. Chennelly is also running for state assembly.
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Zeldin put out a statement afterward that described what happened and how it strengthened his resolve to lower crime in New York:
“Thank you to everyone who reached out following tonight’s attack in Fairport. Someone tried to stab me on stage during this evening’s rally, but fortunately, I was able to grab his wrist and stop him for a few moments until others tackled him. I’m ok, and @EspositoforNY, and all other attendees are safe. The attacker is in custody. Grateful for the attendees who stepped up quickly to assist and the law enforcement officers who quickly responded. I’m as resolute as ever to do my part to make NY safe again.”
Even politicians have to be scared for their lives in Democrat states because it is getting so dangerous. Republicans are politically targeted and the media barely skips a beat when it happens. Imagine if that was a Democrat candidate that this happened to. Do you think they want this guy to attack Zeldin again?
