The woman who assaulted and falsely accused a Black teen of stealing her phone has finally been identified, and she is speaking out about the incident.
Miya Ponsetto, 22, was finally identified as the woman in the video who was harassing a Black father and his son over an iPhone that she believed was hers. In the video, that has now made it news stations and our phone screens globally, Ponsetto can be seen yelling at the Black man and child. The child, 14-year-old Keyon Harrold, Jr., and his father had just come from their Arlo hotel room upstairs when the woman targeted them as thieves.
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When Keyon’s father told the woman the phone was not hers, things quickly escalated and a manager got involved. Keyon’s father’s told the manager and the woman the phone did not belong to her and that they would not be handing it over after she asked for the device. That’s when she said she would not allow the father and son to leave and lunged herself at them. “No, I’m not letting him walk away with my phone!” she said in the video clip. Her face was identified by other photos of her that were posted online, the New York Post reports.
On Wednesday, the New York Police Department Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison tweeted a series of video clips with the woman’s face on it. In the caption, the photo read “WANTED.” Harrison said the NYPD “is requesting the public’s assistance locating the suspect in this video,” who he said “falsely accused an innocent 14-year-old teenager of stealing her cellphone,,,then proceeded to physically attack him and fled the location.”
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According to police records, there is only one Miya Ponsetto in the United States, and that person is 22 and lives in Sun Valley, Calif. She is also connected to an address in Simi Valley, Calif., which appears to be her family home, the outlet reports. After an interview with the woman, CNN said it wouldn’t identify her because “she said she has concerns for her safety unrelated to this incident.”
During her interview with CNN, Ponsetto claimed she tried “very hard to make sure that I am always doing the right thing.” She claims that before she turned her attention to the Harrolds she asked everyone in the lobby to empty their pockets. She added that she would be open to speaking with the Harrold family but that she does plan on providing proof that she was assaulted. However, she abruptly stopped answering CNN’s messages.
An investigation has been launched; Ponsetto could be facing assault, grand larceny or attempted robbery charges. Ponsetto said she will be cooperating with the investigation. Her iPhone was retuned to her by an Uber driver.
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