Hope for Justice: Lee Zeldin Attacker Arrested on Federal Charge
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and New York State Police arrested the 43-year-old U.S Army veteran charged with attacking Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin of New York on stage Thursday at a campaign event.
FBI agents, state police personnel and Monroe County sheriff’s deputies were photographed escorting 43-year-old David Jakubonis from his apartment on Saturday, the U.K. Daily Mail reported.
Jakubonis faces charges of assaulting a member of Congress using a dangerous weapon, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Western District of New York announced in a news release.
The Fairport, New York, man faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment if found guilty.
Jakubonis made his first court appearance Saturday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marion W. Payson, the U.S. attorney’s office said.
According to the news release, he is being held pending a detention hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
Zeldin — the Republican nominee for governor of the Empire State — was at a campaign stop Thursday at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8495 in Perinton, New York, near Rochester, when Jakubonis came near him with a sharp object in hand.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office said that Jakubonis tried to hit Zeldin in the neck with the object, telling him, “You’re done.”
Fortunately, others present subdued the attacker until officers arrived and took Jakubonis into custody.
It was later revealed that the weapon Jakubonis used in the attempted assault was a black, hardened plastic keychain that had two sharp prongs intended for self-defense, Fox News reported.
He was then charged with attempted second-degree assault.
However, hours after he was taken into custody, Jakubonis was released under New York’s liberal bail reform laws, Fox News reported.
In a Twitter post shortly after the attack, Zeldin predicted the suspect would soon go free.
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. pic.twitter.com/wZEyIyrjFe
— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) July 22, 2022
“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,” Zeldin wrote on Twitter after he was attacked.
“Law enforcement was on the scene within minutes.”
“The attacker will likely be instantly released under NY’s laws,” Zeldin wrote.
In fact, Zeldin spent some of his time at his campaign stop discussing bail reform, according to Fox News.
Despite the attack, Zeldin continued campaigning on Friday, the New York Post reported.
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