The New York Police Department (NYPD) released new images of an unidentified woman who falsely accused the son of jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold of stealing her phone in the lobby of a hotel in New York.
In the surveillance images released on Wednesday, the woman can be seen apparently knocking 14-year-old Blackon Harrold Jr, who is black, to the floor.
Ben Crump, the family’s attorney, is asking the Manhattan District Attorney to open charges of assault and battery against the woman.
“We met with the public prosecutor and he informed us that they had seen the hotel’s surveillance video and that it was very disturbing,” Crump said on Wednesday, according to ABC News.
The woman’s phone was reportedly returned to the hotel by an Uber driver shortly after the incident, the musician said.
On Tuesday, the NYPD said it planned to increase the charges against the woman after reviewing images of the incident.
Detective chief Rodney Harrison said the authorities are trying to “accuse this individual of assault and maybe even look at a major theft or maybe even attempted theft,” according to The New York Post.
Police identified the woman in the video, but she has not yet performed and lives outside the state, according to ABC News.
The station said it was unable to “corroborate its report with the investigators or the hotel where the incident occurred”, nor did the woman provide evidence for her allegations.
“After she agreed to provide evidence that could help confirm her claim that she was assaulted, she stopped responding to CNN calls and text messages,” said CNN.
The communication channel did not identify the woman, other than her age, as “she said she has safety concerns unrelated to this incident”.
According to the vehicle, the woman expressed concern about the possibility of facing charges and her representation in the video, adding that she would be willing to cooperate with the investigation.