The NYPD said on Tuesday that it plans to update the charges it will bring against a woman who falsely accused a 14-year-old black boy of stealing her cell phone, and then attacked him during a disturbing camera encounter at a Manhattan hotel.
Detective chief Rodney Harrison said at a news conference that the decision for tougher raps came after authorities obtained images of Saturday’s attack on Keyon Harrold Jr. that generated widespread outrage.
“We have a white woman, we haven’t identified her yet, or her age, falsely accusing a 14-year-old black man of stealing her cell phone,” said Harrison of the confrontation at the Hotel Arlo in Soho. “Our perpetrator initially started a verbal discussion of this charge and then tried to attack our teenager by grabbing his phone, grabbing his leg and trying to attack him. Our victim suffered no injuries. But his father, with whom he was, received minor injuries. “
Harrison said the case was initially classified as harassment after police were called to the hotel, but that has changed since then. “After we managed to get the video, we are now looking to accuse this individual of aggression and maybe even look at a major theft or maybe even an attempted theft,” he said at the 1 Police Plaza press conference.
Manhattan prosecutors announced on Monday that they are “thoroughly investigating” the allegations.
The boy’s father, prominent jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold, captured part of the attack on his cell phone and posted the footage on Instagram. It was not immediately clear whether this was the same video that Harrison was referring to.
The footage shows the agitated woman telling a hotel manager that the teenager picked up his phone before she launched herself at him. “Take the bag, this is mine,” the unidentified woman demands, while the hotel manager is heard trying to get the boy to show his phone.
The video went viral, garnering nearly 2.2 million views on Instagram.
Harrison said authorities have not yet located the woman. “We are trying to track down our perpetrator right now,” he said. “We believe she lives outside the state, so we are trying to verify that she is still in the New York area.”
When asked if there was a racial angle to the case, Harrison said, “We don’t have that right now.”
On Monday, Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted that the incident was “Racism. Pure and simple ”and“ an affront to the values of our city ”. He also apologized to Harrold’s family. “I am very sorry that this happened to you,” he wrote.