'I got hit as if a boulder hit me': Rudy Giuliani slapped inside supermarket, employee arrested

STATEN ISLAND, New York City -- Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani spoke out on Monday after he was slapped on the back while grocery shopping.

A ShopRite employee is under arrest for attacking Giuliani inside the supermarket.

Police say Daniel Gill, 39, slapped Giuliani on the back while he was handing out flyers at the store on Staten Island in New York.

"I got hit as if a boulder hit me," Giuliani said during his virtual press conference. "It knocked me forward a step or two, it didn't knock me down, but it hurt tremendously."

The former mayor said he really didn't know what had hit him at the time, and he was shocked as he had campaigned there for himself, his son, and other colleagues some 500 times, maybe as many as 1,000, he estimated.

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After the hit, Giuliani says the man kept swearing and ranting to him about "killing women" and when he wouldn't stop, that's when he decided to call the police and have the man arrested.

Giuliani, 78, was not seriously injured and refused medical treatment.

Gill is facing a second-degree assault charge for hitting a senior citizen.

"This has to stop, this has to stop," he said. "It could have been much worse of course."

Giuliani was at the ShopRite handing out flyers and taking pictures with people supporting his son, Andrew Giuliani's run for governor. His son was not at the store and was campaigning elsewhere.

Andrew Giuliani released a statement saying,

"Innocent people are attacked in today's New York all of the time. This particular incident hit very close to home. The assault on my father, America's Mayor, was over politics. We will not be intimidated by left-wing attacks. As governor, I will stand up for law and order so that New Yorkers feel safe again. This message has resonated with voters throughout my campaign, leading up to Tuesday's primary."

Andrew Giulian planned to hold a 7:30 p.m. rally on Tuesday at the store where his father got slapped.