The video of a man being taunted by a young woman in a New York City subway quickly became viral. The man in question is ex-minor league pitcher Jorge Pena. Pena admits to being horrified that he hit a woman, but says he was only doing so in self-defense. NYPD agreed with Pena and has dropped all charges against him.
‘Believe me, if she don’t touch me like that… I’m never gonna put my hands on her. Never,’ said Dominican-born Pena.
Pena says that the jacket he wore in the video that night is his favorite and now he’s afraid to wear it because people might recognize him and harass him some more.
‘I can’t wear my jacket anymore,’ said Pena, explaining that he was worried it might provoke an unwelcome response from someone who recognized him from the incident.
The woman that Pena hit is Danay Howard, and her friends that assisted her in attacking Pena are Kevin Gil, 21, and Shanique Campbell, 20. While Pena has been cleared of all charges. Howard is facing felony assault and disorderly conduct, while Gil and Campbell each face misdemeanor assault and disorderly conduct charges.
[h/t Daily Mail]