Harrold and his son are black and were staying at a hotel in Manhattan. The woman in the video appears to be white.
His video of the meeting was widely shared on social media, prompting protests about what many considered to be yet another incident of racial discrimination against black men. The hotel apologized and called the woman’s behavior “baseless accusation, prejudice and aggression against an innocent guest”.
A spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney, Cy Vance, said his office “is investigating the incident thoroughly”, and the New York Police Department told CNN that a harassment complaint at the Arlo Soho hotel was filed.
After viewing the surveillance video of the incident, investigators are considering accusing the woman of assault and possible theft or attempted theft, said Rodney Harrison, chief of New York Police Department detectives, on Tuesday.
The woman disputes the charges against her
The woman did not introduce herself, but CNN on Tuesday was the first news agency to speak to her over the phone, and she disputed Harrold’s account of what happened.
Although the 22-year-old woman claimed that she was beaten during the fight, CNN was unable to corroborate her report with investigators or the hotel where the incident occurred.
In a 20-minute telephone interview, she said the incident unfolded after she asked to see the hotel’s surveillance video to try to identify who may have taken her phone. She said she then asked another person in the hotel lobby to “empty the pocket” before finally confronting Keyon Harrold Jr., who she said had the phone in her pocket.
“That’s when everything got a little more serious,” said the woman, referring to the interaction.
Throughout the call, the woman’s account of the incident was sometimes confusing. She provided additional information from previous and unrelated events that CNN was unable to confirm.
When asked if she is concerned about the possibility of facing charges and, in general, how she is portrayed in the video, she said: “Of course I worry. I’m not like that. In fact … I try very hard to make sure that I’m always doing the right thing. ”
The woman told CNN that she is willing to cooperate with the ongoing investigation, but has not yet received a call from the NYPD or communicated alone. She also said that she would like to speak with the Harrolds.
After agreeing to provide evidence that could help confirm her claim that she had been assaulted, she stopped responding to CNN’s calls and text messages.
CNN is not naming her at this time because she said she has security concerns unrelated to this incident.
CNN also requested a police report from the NYPD, but declined to provide one, saying it normally does not do so in such situations.
Many who saw Harrold’s video, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, claimed racism. But there are no plans “at this time” to accuse the woman of a crime of prejudice, said Harrison.
“The investigation is still preliminary, a lot of work still needs to be done,” he said. “The claimants are cooperating and I am confident that the investigators at the first police station will make an arrest in this case sooner or later.”
Harrold says the meeting took place on the way to breakfast
The teenager tells her “this is my phone” and her father tells him that he doesn’t need to explain anything to the woman. The woman approaches them, demanding that the folder be removed from the phone.
She then taps a hotel employee on the shoulder and asks him to bring her the phone. “Literally, take it back to me, please,” she says.
The older Harrold replies, “Are you kidding me? Do you think there is only one iPhone made in the world?” A man who identifies himself as the hotel manager asks to see the phone, but the teenager’s father refuses. “I’m trying to resolve this situation,” says the manager.
In the video, when Harrold and his son try to walk away, the woman approaches them, saying, “I’m not going to let you go with my phone.” The video then shows it on the floor, but it is not clear how it fell there. She approaches them again and the teenager’s father is heard shouting at her to take her hands away before the video is cut.
“I don’t know what would have happened if my father hadn’t been there, honestly,” said the teenager. Asked what he would say if he had the opportunity to speak to the woman, he said he would expect an apology. Then he said he would ask her, “why would she do something like that to a child who has never met you?”
The woman’s phone was returned to her at the hotel moments after the incident by a shared vehicle she used to try to check into the hotel, Harrison said.
Hotel says “more could have been done” to settle the dispute
“It would be horrible at any age, but it is especially offensive that it happened to a child,” he said. “For Keyon Harrold Jr. and his family: I am very sorry that this happened to you.”
In a statement, Arlo Hotels said “more could have been done to slow down the dispute”.
“We are deeply discouraged by the recent incident of unfounded accusation, prejudice and aggression against an innocent guest at the Arlo hotel,” the statement said. “Investigating the incident further, we learn that the duty manager promptly called the police about the woman’s conduct and that the hotel’s security intervened to prevent further violence … No guest of Arlo – or anyone – should be subject to this type of behavior. “
“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.
“We strongly urge Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. to open charges of assault and battery against this woman to send the message that hateful and racially motivated behavior is unacceptable,” added Crump. “This is what will be needed to drive the change. We have also called for a civil rights investigation at the Hotel Arlo for its implied bias in Keyon’s treatment.”
CNN’s Melanie Schuman, Tina Burnside, Sonia Moghe and Kristina Sgueglia contributed to this report.