Metro

Self-defense subway slasher set free

Ah, the sweet smell of freedom!

The Brooklyn teen who fatally stabbed two men on a downtown train strolled out of Rikers Island today after two months behind bars — thanks to a grand jury’s conclusion he acted in self-defense. Brenddy Garcia, 19, relished his first seconds outside of prison, beaming a big smile and deeply breathing in the fresh air.

The teen scoffed at the initial newspaper accounts that portrayed him as a rampaging thug for knifing two rowdy 24-year-olds during a March 28 melee on the No. 2 train.

“I’m a monster, right?” Garcia said sarcastically while looking for a payphone moments after his release.

A grand jury concluded that Garcia had acted in self-defense on Friday and refused to indict him.

After a ride on a city bus, he was met by three friends who whisked him away in a black Nissan Altima. His family and friends appeared to be celebrating later in the afternoon at his home in Brownsville. Relatives inside would not speak to reporters, but one person going into the home said, “Justice has been done.”

The train melee unfolded when a large group jumped Garcia and his friends on a downtown subway. After his head was smashed with a beer bottle, Garcia began slashing his assailants with a knife — one he has carried ever since he was nearly murdered in a 2007 attack.

Ricardo Williams and Darnell Morel died of their wounds from the fight. Garcia was arrested, but after hearing his testimony, a grand jury declined to indict him, the freed man’s lawyer, Lawrence Fredella, said.

“They believed he got jumped and had no other choice to do what he did,” Fredella said.

Additional reporting by Julia Dahl