- New York Mayor Eric Adams said Rudy Giuliani should be investigated for falsely reporting a crime.
- Giuliani had earlier accused a ShopRite employee of hitting him so hard that it felt like a gunshot.
- Adams said there "was a lot of creativity" surrounding Giuliani's account of the alleged assault.
New York Mayor Eric Adams said the city's former mayor, Rudy Giuliani, should be investigated for making a false police report over the supposedly life-threatening attack he endured at a Staten Island grocery store.
During a media appearance on Tuesday, Adams commented on the incident involving a ShopRite employee who slapped Giuliani on the back while the latter was in the store on Sunday.
Giuliani later accused the employee, 39-year-old Daniel Gill, of striking him so hard that it felt like a gunshot. He also claimed that Gill's blow could have caused him to fall and crack his skull. However, CCTV footage of the incident does not appear to show Giuliani losing balance after Gill's hand came into contact with his back.
Gill was initially charged with second-degree assault, a felony charge. The charge was reduced on Monday to a third-degree assault misdemeanor charge, along with two additional charges of third-degree menacing and second-degree harassment.
"Someone needs to remind former Mayor Giuliani that falsely reporting a crime is a crime," Adams said. "From what he stated about being punched in the head, felt like a bullet — from what he stated, there was a lot of creativity. And I think the district attorney, he has the wrong person he is investigating."
"To falsely report a crime is a crime. If that video wasn't there, then this person would have been charged with punching the former mayor. He would have been charged with all these offenses that did not materialize," Adams added.
"What if we didn't have the video? This person would've been accused of a serious crime when all he did was pat the guy on the back," Adams said.
Giuliani has responded to Adams, calling him a "fucking scumbag" in an interview with the New York Post.
"He doesn't know what he's talking about. I didn't file the complaint. His police department filed the report. The police department did an investigation. The police interviewed witnesses," Giuliani told the outlet.