The woman who was spotted attacking and falsely accusing jazz musician Keyon Harrold’s teenage son of stealing his phone at a New York hotel was arrested, police said.
Police officers from Ventura County coordinated with the New York City Police Department the arrest of Miya Ponsetto, 22, on an escape warrant in front of his home in Piru, California, on Thursday, according to the county sheriff. Ventura.
A spokesman for the Ventura County sheriff told NBC News on Thursday that Ponsetto did not stop his car after police contacted her until she got home. The officers forcibly removed Ponsetto from the vehicle, saying she resisted arrest, refused to get out of the car and tried to slam the car door on one of the deputies, the spokesman said. It was unclear what Ponsetto’s charges face, but she is awaiting extradition to New York.
In an interview on Thursday, lawyer Sharon Ghatan said her client, who was not a hotel guest but intended to check in, left her items unattended in the lobby when she went to get a Starbucks item from the bathroom.
When she left, Ponsetto noticed her phone was missing and asked several people in the lobby, including an “Asian gentleman”, if they had taken her phone, said Ghatan.
The next people she asked were the Harrolds, who had just stepped out of the elevator, said Ghatan. A one-minute viral video of the December 26 incident showed Ponsetto approaching the Harrold family before reporting the phone’s disappearance to management.
Tensions have escalated, with Ponsetto reportedly attacking 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr.. New York police said the father “suffered a hand scratch,” but no further injuries were reported. Her father suggested that racial prejudice played a role in the strife.
In an interview on Thursday, Ghatan, who is also representing Ponsetto in an unrelated case, spoke about Ponsetto’s mental health problems and said the incident “was not about race”.
“She suffers from many anxiety attacks,” said Ghatan. “She was alone … 22 years old in a city she doesn’t know, absolutely no one there and her phone was all about it.”
Ghatan said she was concerned for Ponsetto’s well-being, saying she was “emotionally and mentally ill”.
On Tuesday, the lawyer confirmed that his client left his phone in an Uber. Ghatan said that if the Uber driver returned her phone 15 minutes earlier, the altercation would not have happened.
“She lost her mind for a hot minute. She laments, “said Ghatan on Tuesday.” Unfortunately, these poor Harrolds had to deal with the consequences. “
Ghatan added that his client wanted to “move on and leave this behind”.
Ponsetto was charged with public intoxication and assault in an incident at a Beverly Hills hotel on February 28, according to court documents. She was also arrested on May 28 for driving under the influence in Van Nuys, California, court documents show.
A hearing for the charges related to the Beverly Hills incident was scheduled for later this month, Ghatan said. In September, a Van Nuys West court judge sentenced Ponsetto to 3 years of summary probation after she did not contest for drunk driving.
Ghatan said he was unable to contact civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who is representing the Harrold family.
More than 100,000 people signed an online petition posted by civil rights lawyer Benjamin Crump, who asked Manhattan district attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. to file charges of assault and battery against Ponsetto.
“Keyon Harrold Jr. will live with this trauma for the rest of his life, the weight of racism on the shoulders of another generation,” Crump wrote in a statement. “He deserves better than this treatment!”
A spokesman for the Manhattan prosecutor said earlier that the office was “thoroughly investigating this incident”.
At a press conference last Wednesday, Harrold, accompanied by Crump and Rev. Al Sharpton, spoke publicly about the incident.
“I can’t even go down to New York City – noble New York City – and just go for a snack without being attacked and unfairly accused of something,” said Harrold. “The idea of trauma goes beyond any accusations that can be made.”
“I want my son to grow up whole,” said Harrold.
In an interview with “Good Morning America” on December 29, Harrold Jr. said he was “in shock” over the incident.
“I would ask her why she would do something like that to a child who has never met you and I would just ask why,” he said.
