The 22-year-old who was seen on video attacking and falsely accusing a Black teenager of stealing her iPhone in an New York City hotel has been arrested in Los Angeles.
The 22-year-old who was seen on video attacking and falsely accusing a Black teenager of stealing her iPhone in an New York City hotel has been arrested in Los Angeles. Hours earlier, Miya Ponsetto sparred with Gayle King on “CBS This Morning” in a contentious interview that has since gone viral on social media.
“I consider myself super sweet. I really never, ever meant for it to hurt him,” Ponestto said in the interview.
“You just described yourself as super sweet. When you look at the video, the reaction seems very extreme. It doesn’t seem like it's someone who's super sweet,” King said.
As King continued questioning Ponsetto, who was wearing a baseball cap that said “daddy” on it, about the incident, Ponsetto snapped back, saying, “Alright, Gayle, enough.”
After the remark, Ponsetto’s lawyer said to Ponsetto, “No, stop, stop.”
Ponsetto set off a national uproar for tackling 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. after falsely accusing him of stealing her cell phone in the lobby of Manhattan’s Arlo Hotel, prompting some to give her the moniker “SoHo Karen.”
Surveillance video released by the NYPD shows her chasing the boy in the lobby before tackling him to the floor. The NYPD said in a statement that Harrold Jr. was “innocent” and accused the woman—then unidentified—of “physically attacking him.”
Ponsetto had actually left her phone behind in an Uber.
The incident was also caught on camera by the boy’s father, Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold. Ponsetto returned to California before she could be questioned by NYPD detectives, but law enforcement caught up with her in Los Angeles hours after her interview with King.
The arrest happened at Ponestto’s home in Ventura County. Cops say she refused to pull over until she reached the driveway in her black Range Rover. They say she resisted arrest and they needed to forcibly remove her from the car. Neighbors told Inside Edition she was kicking and screaming.
Ponetto’s uncle spoke to Inside Edition.
“I am terrified for my niece. Miya is not a racist. We are of race. No one in my family is racist. She does have some mental health issues,” Eric Ponsetto said.
"I do sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, apologize that if I made the son feel as if I assaulted him or if I hurt his feelings," Ponsetto also said in the interview.
Ponsetto is being held without bail while she awaits extradition to New York.
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