Christopher Neely, uncle of Jordan Neely, was arrested this week after law enforcement officials had been searching for him for a string of larcenies.
The 44-year-old was caught after trying to run from New York Police Department officers, who recognized him as a suspect for “a robbery pattern,” the New York Daily News reported.
Christopher Neely was allegedly caught carrying credit cards from numerous victims, the report said. He was also armed with a gravity knife.
The New York Post reported that the arrest happened near the Port Authority Bus Terminal. He was wanted for allegedly stealing purses from restaurants.
He was charged with criminal possession of stolen property, resisting arrest, bail jumping, and unlawful possession of a weapon, the report said.
The Daily Mail reported that he had more than 70 prior arrests and had two active warrants for his arrest when he was taken into custody.
Christopher Neely’s arrest comes after he said that he does not want Daniel Penny, who put his nephew Jordan Neely in a chokehold that ultimately led to his death, to get a plea deal in the case.
“I want this to go to trial,” Christopher Neely said. “He has too much confidence in himself and has to be taught what he did was wrong.”
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Penny, a 24-year-old former U.S. Marine, was charged with second degree manslaughter and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Penny said during a recent interview with the New York Post that the incident had nothing to do with race.
Penny placed Neely, a homeless man with over 40 arrests and a history of mental health issues, in a chokehold after Neely embarked on an aggressive rant and began screaming that he did not care if he went to jail.
“This had nothing to do with race,” he said. “I judge a person based on their character. I’m not a white supremacist. I mean, it’s, it’s a little bit comical. Everybody who’s ever met me can tell you, I love all people, I love all cultures. You can tell by my past and all my travels and adventures around the world. I was actually planning a road trip through Africa before this happened.”
Penny said he would not go into details of what happened because of his pending case, but said that the incident was unlike “anything I’d experienced before.”