Alek Skarlatos, who helped stopped a terrorist attack on a train in Paris in 2015, told Newsmax Thursday that Daniel Penny did nothing wrong.
Penny, 26, is facing manslaughter charges in the May 1, 2023, New York subway death of Jordan Neely, 30, a homeless man who had been reportedly threatening passengers. Neely died after Penny placed him in a chokehold. A jury has been deliberating for several days.
Skarlatos, who serves in the Oregon House of Representatives, said he found it disturbing Penny is facing criminal charges.
"Anyone who thinks he did something wrong: I would challenge them to think about what they would do differently in that situation," Skarlatos said on "National Report." "Even if law enforcement were there, they probably would have handled the situation in almost the exact same way. It's just going to have a chilling effect on any good Samaritan who might think about stepping up in the future."
In 2015, Skarlatos and two friends were on a train to Paris when a terrorist opened fire. Skarlatos, his friends, and others were able to subdue the man, striking him with his rifle and putting him in a chokehold. They were hailed as heroes, and Skarlatos and his two friends starred in a Clint Eastwood movie about the incident.
"Daniel Penny didn't pull out a gun and shoot Jordan Neely," Skarlatos said. "He tried to restrain him and put him in a chokehold, which again, I think is the exact proportionate response to the threat that Neely presented."
Skarlatos said society depends on people like Penny to do the right thing.
"Law enforcement can't be everywhere," Skarlatos said. [If Penny is convicted,] I don't know what happens to our level of trust in society and its institutions, especially if you live in a blue state where you might be prosecuted for doing the right thing."
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