July 23, 2022 – In Breaking News – CNN
The man accused of attempting to stab New York gubernatorial nominee Rep. Lee Zeldin on stage at a campaign event has been arrested on a federal assault charge, a spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office in the Western District of New York said, after he was released on his own recognizance shortly following an initial arrest Thursday.
David Jakubonis, 43, was arrested Saturday and charged with assaulting a member of Congress with a dangerous weapon, according to Barbara Burns, a Department of Justice spokesperson.
(New York Congressman Lee Zeldin, who is running for governor, was attacked on stage during a stump speech. Zeldin is now speaking out about the violence on the campaign trail. Courtesy of NBC News and YouTube. Posted on Jul 22, 2022.)
Jakubonis made his first court appearance before US Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson in Rochester on Saturday, according to court documents, and the weapon involved was described in court records as a self-defense keychain.
Jakubonis was already facing state charges over the alleged attack Thursday. He had been charged with attempted assault in the second degree after being accused of confronting Zeldin, a Republican, while he was giving a speech in Fairpoint, New York.
Jakubonis “attempted to stab” Zeldin, a statement from the campaign said, and the GOP lawmaker “grabbed the attacker’s wrist to stop him until several others assisted in taking the attacker down to the ground.”
Zeldin was not injured.
(U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin speaks about attack as suspect is released without bail. Courtesy of CBS New York and YouTube. Posted on Jul 22, 2022.)
Steve Slawinski, assistant federal defender for the Western District of New York who is representing Jakubonis, said in a statement Jakubonis is next scheduled to appear in court for a bail hearing Wednesday.
“I expect to request the judge to release him from custody at that time,” Slawinski said.
Zeldin, who has made New York’s rising crime rate a central focus of his campaign’s attacks on incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, said in a statement Saturday he was “thankful that federal authorities came in to do what New York State’s broken pro-criminal justice system could not – uphold the rule of law.”
According to the criminal complaint filed Saturday, Jakubonis, an Army veteran, allegedly told authorities he had consumed whiskey on the day of the campaign event and “must have checked out” as he walked on the stage and asked if Zeldin was disrespecting veterans.
Jakubonis told authorities he did not know who Zeldin was at the time.
Following his initial arrest Thursday, Jakubonis was held for six hours before his arraignment, where he was released on his own recognizance, according to Monroe County sheriff’s deputy Brendan Hurley.
Continue reading… Suspected attacker of GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin arrested on federal assault charge
AST strives to meet a 3 STAR trustworthiness rating, based on the following criteria:
- Provides named sources
- Reported by more than one notable outlet
- Includes supporting video, direct statements, or photos
