NYC self defense and being a good Samaritan are not permitted
Article 35 of the New York Penal Law outlines when an individual is justified in using physical force in self-defense, or in the defense of others. Under the statute, a person can use the amount of physical force they reasonably believe is necessary to defend themselves or others from what they reasonably believe to be the illegal imminent use of force or the illegal use of force.
Article 35 NY Penal Law - Defense of Justification | NY Laws (ypdcrime.com)
May 1 ,Former Marine Daniel Penny was in a subway car (an increasingly dangerous place to be in NYC) ;along with other passengers . Also on the subway was Jordan Neely ,a deranged dangerous homeless man who had been arrested over 40 times ;and the subject of multiple Emotionally Disturbed Person reports. In one instance he slugged a woman. He got a plea deal.
Neeley was threatening other passengers ;acting erratically, shouting and claiming he had little to live for. “He said, 'I don’t care. I’ll take a bullet, I’ll go to jail’ because he would kill people on the train,” the woman said of Neely. “He said, ‘I would kill a motherf***er. I don’t care. I’ll take a bullet. I’ll go to jail.’”
Jordan Neely chokehold death witness 'praying' for Daniel Penny (nypost.com)
Penny and 2 other passengers decided to restrain Neely .Penny used what it technically called a 'carotid restraint' even though the compliant press is calling it a 'choke hold'. It is a self defense hold often used by police to restrain someone. It does not prevent someone from breathing . Instead it restricts the blood flow .Once the person is restrained the hold is released .
In this case Penny released the hold when Nelly was subdued . He then put him in what is called a recovery position .....not something you would do if the intent is to kill. Passengers came up to Penny and thanked him . Nelly later died at the hospital .To my knowledge no cause of death has been determined .
Nothing would've happened . But BLM took to the streets and subway platforms of the city to mostly peaceful protest. All Out Crazy and the usual suspects like Al Sharpton called for his arrest ;ironically railing against vigilante justice.
Mayor Adams was reserved in his comments .
Quote:
“Any loss of life is tragic. There’s a lot we don’t know about what happened here, so I’m going to refrain from commenting further. However, we do know that there were serious mental health issues in play here, which is why our administration has made record investments in providing care to those who need it and getting people of the streets and the subways, and out of dangerous situations. And I need all elected officials and advocacy groups to join us in prioritizing getting people the care they need and not just allowing them to languish.”
NYC chokehold death on subway sparks protests (pix11.com)
But this situation was not acceptable to the ambitious DA Alvin Braggs.
Without a grand jury and with a history of refusing to bring charges to many crimes ;decided on his own to charge Penny with 2nd degree manslaughter .
Found guilty or innocent ;the charges themselves will likely deter other Good Samaritans from acting.