A hulking 6-foot-6 bouncer who was arrested for slapping a woman during a subway melee said he would apologize to her for the blow even though prosecutors ruled he acted in self-defense.
“A man is never supposed to hit a girl,” s Jorge Pena, 25 said, a part-time bouncer who came to the city from the Dominican Republic four years ago.
“She put me in a position that I had no choice. She tried to kill me." The incident broke out on the F train around 4:20 a.m. on Saturday and became a viral video sensation on the internet.
Still, if he saw Shanique Campbell, the woman he accuses of verbally and physically assaulting him, he’d say sorry for striking her.
“If see her I’m going to apologize to her because a man should never hit a girl,” said the new dad, who works wherever he can find it to support his girlfriend and 20-month-old son.
Pena had just finished a 12-hour shift when Campbell attacked him on the F train, he said.
After hurling insults at him, she slapped at him and hit him in the back of the head with her stiletto heel, according to a video of the fracas that’s since gone viral.
Pena plans to sue the city over the unwarranted arrest, the man’s lawyer said Wednesday.
He was released after prosecutors found he was acting in self-defense, his lawyer, Cary London, said.
The case was officially dismissed Monday in Manhattan Criminal Court after the DA’s office reviewed the tape, which shows Pena getting harassed by Campbell .
Campbell, 20, can be seen berating Pena, who towered over her, and making fun of his fashion choices. Pena was wearing a ljacket which has a large 8-ball on the back.
A group of her friends can be seen egging on Campbell.
Pena, who speaks with a heavy accent, said he didn’t know any of the women. He heard them making fun of other passengers when he got on the train, he said.
He didn’t know why they turned on him.
“I don't talk to you. I don't know you. Just leave me alone. I don't know why you're talking to me,” he said to Campbell, when she demanded to know if he and his friend had been whispering about her.
Campbell called him a “bum ass n****” and “stupid,” Pena said. She also made fun of his 8-ball coat.
Pena remained silent until Campbell moved away. She noticed a man filming her and slapped the camera out of his hands several times, the video shows.
In the video, as Pena tries to walk past her, he is heard calling her a b****.
Campbell whips off her high heel and clocks him on the back of the head — which was luckily padded by Pena’s thick hat.
Pena turns around and slaps her hard enough to send her flying back several feet — then her friends and another man jump into the brawl.
He was arrested with three others. Pena had to go to the hospital to get a cut near his ear stitched up and another near his nose, he said.
“I have never been in trouble before. I've never slapped someone,” he said, adding that his arrest experience was horrible.
“I am quiet man ... I respect women. That's why I don't do nothing when she pushed me but when she hit me I had to do something. I had no choice,” he said.
He was thrilled to learn the charges against him were dropped, he said.
His lawyers are still probing all aspects of the litigation, including whether Campbell has some liability.
“She is ultimately the reason he was put in the situation,” said attorney Joseph Indusi, of London Indusi LLP.
“We're currently investigating with an eye toward possible future civil litigation,” he said.
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ReplyDeleteThe woman, or immature little girl, was a total IDIOT. I don't blame the man--he was minding his own business. She pushed or hit him--he slapped her. (He should have punched her, since she's such a badasssss.) People NEED to mind their own business--my mother used to say "if you mind your own business, your hands will be full"--guess that little girls momma didn't tell her that.
ReplyDeleteYour mother was very wise! So true!!
Deletecampbell is a spoiled ignorant bitch, getting her jollies by abusing others. pena really should have decked her.
ReplyDelete