Daniel Penny defends chokehold in new video, disputes racism accusations, says Jordan Neely threatened subway passengers: 'I'm going to kill you'

Daniel Penny issued a new video where he defended his actions on May 1, which ended with the death of Jordan Neely on a New York City subway.

Penny claimed that Neely was acting erratic by throwing his jacket at passengers on the F train, yelling, and threatening people.

"The three main threats he repeated over and over was 'I'm going to kill you,' 'I'm prepared to go to jail for life,' and 'I'm willing to die,'" Penny said in the video.

"You know this was a scary situation," he continued.

“There’s a common misconception that Marines don’t get scared," the former Marine said. "We’re actually taught one of our core values is courage, and courage is not the absence of fear but how you handle fear."

Penny said, "I was scared for myself but I looked around there was women and children, he was yelling in their faces saying these threats. I couldn’t just sit still."

"We were all scared, Mr. Neely was yelling in passengers' faces," he said. "And they looked terrified."

Penny said there is no video of before the physical altercation because passengers were too busy being afraid and attempting to get away from Neely.

"The videos didn't start until they saw the situation under control," Penny claimed.

"I knew I had to act. And I acted in a way that would protect the other passengers, protect myself and protect Mr. Neely," he said in the video statement. "I used this hold to restrain him."

Penny explained, “I was trying to keep him on the ground until the police came. I was praying that the police would come and take this situation over. I didn’t want to be put in that situation but I couldn’t just sit still and let him carry out these threats.”

Penny said the entire ordeal lasted less than five minutes.

The 24-year-old New Yorker said the accusations that he tried to "choke him to death" are "not true," and he was trying to restrain Neely. He pointed out that Neely's chest was clearly rising and falling, meaning that he was alive.

Penny dismissed the premise that the incident was fueled by race, and called the notion "absolutely ridiculous."

"I didn't see a black man threatening passengers. I saw a man threatening passengers. A lot of whom were people of color," Penny noted. "A man who helped restrain Mr. Neely was a man of color."

In a video released last month, Penny declared, "I judge a person based on their character. I'm not a white supremacist."

Penny brought attention to a woman of color on the subway car who thanked Penny for his actions, and called him a "hero." Penny stressed that he didn't consider himself as a hero for restraining Neely with a chokehold.

The medical examiner’s office said Neely died from "compression of the neck."

Daniel Penny is facing manslaughter charges in the death of Jordan Neely.

Penny is scheduled to return to court on July 17.

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