Police sources: Man erratically on subway dies after passengers hold him in chokehold

new york – Police are investigating a deadly clash in the subway system.

A former Marine detained another passenger who was acting erratically, according to sources.

CBS2’s Ali Bauman has obtained video of the incident, but he should warn that the images can be disturbing.

A 24-year-old subway passenger can be seen choking a 30-year-old man. For his two minutes and fifty-five seconds in the video, he’s cradling his 30-year-old man’s neck.

At one point, two other riders tried to hold the 30-year-old man’s arm before all three let go as they fell to the floor.

This happened Monday afternoon on the F train at the Lafayette Street station in East Houston and SoHo.

A police source said the video showed a 30-year-old man acting erratically inside a subway train, throwing garbage and yelling at passengers.

A 24-year-old man, a former Marine, is said to have intervened in an attempt to calm him down. I told him to call me.

When police finally got there, they took the 30-year-old man to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police detained the 24-year-old Marine for questioning but released him without charge, sources said.

The NYPD is still investigating and is waiting for the coroner to establish an official cause of death.

“In that particular situation, you can only claim as much force as you need. Officer David Schwartz said.

Schwartz says self-defense can be a difficult legal argument in this situation.

“Was there any way to subdue this person other than strangling him?” he said.

But he says what happens before the video starts could determine which way the case goes.

“Did this person just cause havoc, or was he threatening other people’s lives on the subway?” Schwartz said. “I think New York City has created the conditions for something like this to happen.”

Police sources said the deceased man has been arrested more than 40 times and has an arrest warrant for assault charges.