NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The family of a Black teen is suing a California woman who is charged with attacking the boy after falsely accusing him of stealing her cellphone at a SoHo hotel last winter.
Surveillance video of the incident, captured inside the Arlo Hotel in December, shows the woman, 22-year-old Miya Ponsetto, chasing the teen — the 14-year-old son of jazz musician Keyon Harrold — and pulling him to the ground as she confronted him about her missing phone.
The family of Keyon Harrold Jr. is filing a racial profiling lawsuit against Ponsetto and the hotel chain.
Attorneys for the family said the hotel did not support them after Ponsetto allegedly attacked the teen.
"In fact, the hotel manager empowered Ponsetto by asking the minor to give his cellphone up to prove that he was innocent of the false allegations," civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, said.
Crump said the Arlo Hotel has to treat all customers the same and train employees to do just that.
"This is racial profiling 101, America," Crump said. "Was that customer service to ask your Black client, 'A white woman said you stole her phone, prove you're innocent.'"
The teen's mother said her son was racially profiled and humiliated.
"Arlo, you could have prevented this," the teen's mother, Kat Rodriguez, said during a press conference Wednesday at City Hall Park. "Well, my question to you Arlo did you ask anybody else for their phone."
An Uber driver returned the woman’s phone to the hotel after the incident, the Associated Press reported.
The hotel had issued an apology and said what happened was inexcusable.
Ponsetto is also facing criminal charges in the incident. Her lawyer said she has not yet been told of the suit.
WCBS 880 has reached out to the hotel for comment on the lawsuit.
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