Rudy Giuliani was allegedly slapped by a staff member at a Staten Island supermarket amid the backlash against the anti-abortion ruling by the Supreme Court last week.
On Friday (June 24), the US Supreme Court overturned the historic Roe v. Wade decision, meaning that there is no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion.
The justices voted 5-4 in favor of overturning the 1973 Roe decision that made it a constitutional right for a woman to attain an abortion before a fetus' viability outside the womb - which is typically around 24 weeks.
Following the controversial ruling, The New York Post obtained footage of a moment, which 78-year-old former NYC mayor, Giuliani, said resulted in "tremendous pain" in his back.
The incident took place on Sunday between Giuliani and a worker at a ShopRite while the former was campaigning for his son, who is is seeking the Republican nomination for New York's governor.
Speaking to The Post, the former aide to ex-POTUS Donald Trump said he just left the restroom at the store and was talking to a group of supporters when he felt someone's hand strike his back.
“All of a sudden, I feel this, ‘Bam!’ on my back,” Giuliani told the outlet. “I don’t know if they helped me not fall down, but I just about fell down, but I didn’t.”
“I feel this tremendous pain in my back, and I’m thinking, what the — I didn’t even know what it was,” he said. “All of a sudden, I hear this guy say, ‘You’re a f***ing scumbag,’ then he moves away so nobody can grab him.”
Giuliani continued: “And he says, ‘You, you’re one of the people that’s gonna kill women. You’re gonna kill women,’” Giuliani said of the man, who now faces assault charges. "'You and your f***ing friend are gonna kill women.’"
He added: “Then he starts yelling out all kinds of, just curses, and every once in a while, he puts in that woman thing.”
“‘You guys think you’re saving babies, but you’re gonna kill women,’” the employee continued to say, according to Giuliani.
The suspect, 39-year-old Daniel Gill, was arrested and charged with second-degree assault involving a person over age 65. He had no prior arrests, according to sources.
Following the man's arrest, a number of people have criticized the handling of the incident, saying that the supposed slap was no more than a mere tap on the back.
One person wrote: "It’s 'hitting' in the same way that drops of rain can hit you and you could arrest a cloud I guess."
Another said: "Here's the video. I've been slapped on the back by someone saying 'Hello' with more force than this. Yes, physical contact is wrong, but let's call this what it is. The police will have to decide."
A third demanded that authorities "FREE THAT MAN."
