‘SoHo Karen’ Hit With Felony Charges for Attack on Black Teen
Written by SOURCE on January 9, 2021
Miya Ponsetto, aka “SoHo Karen,” is now in NYPD custody.
ABC News reports the 22-year-old California woman appeared in Manhattan court on Saturday, exactly two weeks after she falsely accused a Black teen of stealing her cellphone and proceeded to attack him. The incident occurred in the lobby of the Arlo hotel in New York City, where Ponsetto confronted the 14-year-old son of Grammy-winning artist Keyon Harrold. Video captured by Harrold and hotel surveillance cameras showed the woman tackling the teen and allegedly trying to take his phone.
Ponsetto’s missing device was later returned by an Uber driver.
“Now think about the trauma that my son now has to carry, only coming downstairs to have box day brunch with his dad,” Harrold wrote on social media. “Then … her phone was magically returned by an Uber driver a few minutes after this incident. No apology from her after this traumatic situation to my son, not me.”
Ponsetto flew back to California shortly after the attack; however, calls for her arrest became increasingly louder as the story began gaining national attention. New York authorities traveled to California with a warrant for the woman’s arrest. She was forcibly taken into custody Thursday and agreed to be extradited back to NYC.
The woman has been charged with two counts of attempted assault, attempted robbery, grand larceny, and endangering the welfare of a child.
“I consider myself to be super sweet,” Ponsetto told CBS This Morning in a now viral video just hours before her arrest. “I don’t feel that that is who I am as a person. I don’t feel like this one mistake does define me. But 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 or the father’s feelings.”
