A WOMAN identified as “Soho Karen” who was filmed tackling a black teen in an NYC hotel said “I don’t see the problem” after fleeing to California as a separate boozing charge emerged.
Ex-cheerleader Miya Ponsetto allegedly dragged Keyon Harrold Jr, 14, to the floor in the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in New York City after falsely claiming that he stole her iPhone on December 26.
NYPD sources reportedly confirmed Ponsetta was wanted for the alleged assault and public records indicate there is only one US citizen with that name – a young woman who closely resembles “Soho Karen.”
The woman, revealed to be Ponsetto, is being called a “Karen,” a pejorative term for an entitled white woman.
When a New York Post photographer approached Ponsetta coming out of a McDonald’s in Fillmore, California, on Friday she indicated that she didn’t know why there was an issue.
“I’m actually 22 so I don’t know what the problem is here,” she said when the snapper pointed out how young Keyron Jr is. “And I’m also Puerto Rican so thank you. Take care of yourself.”
Ponsetta, who was dressed in all black and a coronavirus face shield as she walked into the parking lot, was asked if she regretted what happened after the viral video emerged.
“I’m good, thank you. Have a very good day. Take care of yourself,” was all she said as she climbed into a large Range Rover SUV.
Ponsetto is now potentially facing assault and attempted robbery charges in NYC, reports said.
She was previously arrested in Beverly Hills police back in February for being drunk in public, according to an online docket for the Los Angeles Airport Courthouse cited by the Daily Mail.
Her mom, Nicole, was also reportedly a co-defendant booked on the same charge plus assaulting a police officer. A hearing on the case is scheduled for January 28.
Ponsetto was arrested again in May on four DUI counts, according to the Mail, and pled guilty in September with a sentencing hearing set for on January 14.
The publication reported that she bolted to her family’s $389,000 home in the small farming town of Piru, which is north of Los Angeles, after the incident at the NYC hotel.
The NYPD are now considering bringing a slew of charges against her, including assault, grand larceny and attempted robbery, reports said.
Keyon Jr’s dad Keyon Harrold shared footage of a woman – later identified as Ponsetta by the Post – accusing his son of stealing her phone on Instagram, which soon went viral.
The NYPD then released more footage showing her running at the 14-year-old as she grabbed at his waist.
Minutes after the viral altercation, an Uber driver arrived with her phone, the teenager’s dad said in an outraged Instagram post.
Harrold Sr, Keyon’s mother Kat Rodriguez and civil rights attorney Ben Crump are demanding “SoHo Karen” be charged.
An unnamed woman denied assaulting the teen during a brief CNN interview, saying she was allegedly assaulted by the father and son, which has not been corroborated.
The police clip posted by NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison shows the woman – identified as Ponsetto – Keyon, Keyon Jr. and another individual standing at the bottom of the stairs in the lobby.
As Keyon Jr walks towards the floor, his alleged attacker lunges at him and grabs his waist as his dad runs after them and they pass through the automatic doors during the tackle.
The cops’ footage released on December 30, shared by Crump and by Keyron Jr’s parents on Instagram, has “wanted” emblazoned across her face.
“On Saturday, December 26, the woman in this video falsely accused an innocent 14-year-old teenager of stealing her cellphone,” Harrison tweeted.
“She then proceeded to physically attack him and fled the location before police officers arrived on scene.”
The woman interviewed by CNN said everything kicked off when she demanded to see surveillance footage when she couldn’t find her iPhone, a request which was denied.
This was when she cornered someone in the lobby to demand they “empty their pockets” before focussing on Keyon Jr.
At an NYC rally on Wednesday, Keyrons’ enraged parents accompanied by their lawyer Crump – who also represents George Floyd‘s family – demanded that she’s charged with assault.
However, neither the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office or the NYPD have decided whether to charge the woman with any crime yet.
Rodriguez is a saxophonist for Beyoncé and Harrold Sr is a trumpeter, producer, and composer who has played with artists including Rihanna, Snoop Dogg and Jay-Z.
