or does it speak to Neely's ill health from his drug abuse?
Penny told people to call 911 when he started the chokehold and stopped the chokehold when Neely stopped struggling. He also released the chokehold at least once in the struggle.
Penny then put Neely in the recovery position.
Police arrived withing 3 minutes of receiving the 911 call. USMC training states
"When executed properly, an air choke takes between two and three minutes for the aggressor to lose consciousness." (page 2-141 of the link)
https://usmcofficer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Marine-Corps-Martial-Arts-Program-MCMAP.pdf