Miya Ponsetto was charged with two counts of attempted assault, among others.
A California woman faces several charges for falsely accusing a black teenager of stealing his cell phone and physically attacking him inside a New York hotel last month.
Miya Ponsetto was charged in Manhattan on Saturday with two counts of attempted assault, attempted theft, theft and endangering a child’s well-being.
Ponsetto, 22, was arrested in his hometown of Piru, California, on Thursday after fleeing the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department as it tried to stop traffic due to a fugitive arrest warrant, the people said. authorities. As soon as she stopped in front of a house, she fought and resisted arrest, officials told ABC News. During a virtual court hearing on Friday, she agreed to be extradited to New York.
The accusations stem from a December 26 incident at the Hotel Arlo SoHo that gained national attention. Keyon Harrold, a Grammy-winning trumpeter, was staying there with his 14-year-old son when he said Ponsetto approached his son in the lobby to accuse him of stealing her phone. Harrold recorded part of the meeting on his phone and shared the video on social media.
In the video that Harrold recorded, a woman later identified by the authorities as Ponsetto can be seen shouting at the teenager and charging at him. Harrold’s son can also be heard denying that he stole the phone.
Ponsetto’s cell phone was found by an Uber driver, according to civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who is representing the Harrold family.
“As this year of racial awareness is coming to an end, it is deeply worrying that incidents like this, in which a black child is seen and treated as a criminal, continue to happen,” Crump said in a statement after the incident.
ABC News was unable to speak to Ponsetto after his hearing.
In an interview with “CBS This Morning” that aired on Friday, Ponsetto apologized for his actions.
“I don’t feel that this is who I am as a person. I don’t think that one mistake defines me,” she said during the interview, which was filmed on Thursday before her arrest. “But I sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, apologize if I made the son feel as if he had attacked him or if I hurt his feelings or those of his father.”
Ponsetto’s former lawyer Sharen Ghatan said in a statement to ABC News on Thursday that he was “extremely concerned” about Ponsetto’s mental state. “Of course, she’s not feeling well emotionally,” she said.
In an interview on Friday for “Good Morning America”, Harrold Jr.’s parents said they were grateful for Ponsetto’s arrest this week.
“She should have been arrested a long time ago, but I am grateful that she was arrested,” said her mother.
Harrold Jr. said he was “happy that justice will be done”.
Crump and Harrold Jr.’s parents also accused hotel staff of unduly handling the situation.
“This is a good development, but the management of @ArloHotels – owned by Quadrum Global – has empowered Miya’s racist actions and should also be held accountable !!” Crump tweeted Saturday after Ponsetto was charged.
After the incident, the hotel chain apologized to Harrold in an Instagram post and said he was investigating further.
“We are deeply discouraged by the recent incident of unfounded accusation, prejudice and aggression against an innocent hunch at the Arlo Hotel,” the statement said. “We want to apologize to Mr. Harrold and his son for this inexcusable experience.”
Alex Stone, Aaron Katersky and Sabina Ghebremedhin of ABC News contributed to this report.