The woman who falsely accused the teenage son of a black jazz musician of stealing her cell phone at a hotel in Manhattan broke her silence, saying she was “concerned” about the consequences – but maintains her claim that she was assaulted during the riot.
The 22-year-old woman spoke to CNN on Tuesday about the viral video in which she saw the 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. attack in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in Soho, claiming he stole her iPhone.
The woman – whose name was withheld by CNN – said that when she realized her phone was missing, she first demanded to watch the surveillance video from the hotel lobby.
She then asked everyone in the lobby to “empty their pockets” before choosing Keyon Jr. as her suspect.
“That’s when it got a little more serious,” she told CNN during a telephone interview.
The woman, who in the video appears to be white, then launched herself at the teenager and his father, jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold Sr., who was defending his son from the charges.
During a fight not fully captured in the video, said the older Harrold, the woman scratched him and grabbed the teenager.
He said that shortly after the confusion, an Uber driver appeared with the woman’s missing phone.
The NYPD said it plans to beat the woman with raps that may include assault, theft or attempted theft, while Mayor Bill de Blasio called the conflict “pure and simple” racism.
“Of course I do. This is not who I am, ”the woman told CNN when asked if she has concerns about possible criminal charges and her representation in the viral clip. “Actually … I try really hard to make sure that I’m always doing the right thing.”
She told the media that she is willing to cooperate with a NYPD investigation, but has not yet heard the investigators.
The woman added that she would be open to talk to the Harrolds.
She told CNN that she could and would provide evidence that she was assaulted during the incident, but then stopped responding to messages from the vehicle.