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Woman assaults boy in lobby
The NYPD released video of a woman assaulting a boy inside the Arlo Hotel in SoHo after she falsely accused him of stealing her cellphone.
New York - The NYPD released additional video of the confrontation between a woman and the 14-year-old Black boy she falsely accused of stealing her phone inside the lobby of the Arlo Hotel in SoHo.
Prosecutors are investigating the incident after the boy's father, prominent jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold, posted video of the Saturday assault. Harrold said the unidentified woman scratched him and tackled and grabbed his son, Keyon Harrold Jr., at the hotel where they were staying.
Arlo Hotel in SoHo. (FOX 5 NY)
On Wednesday, the NYPD shared new video of the assault and calls for the public to help identify the woman.
"On Saturday, December 26, the woman in this video falsely accused an innocent 14-year-old teenager of stealing her cellphone. She then proceeded to physically attack him and fled the location before police officers arrived on scene. The @NYPDnews is requesting the public’s assistance locating the suspect in this video," tweeted NYPD Chief of Detective Rodney Harrison.
In the initial video shared by the boy's father, an agitated woman demands her phone be returned while a hotel manager tries to settle the situation. At one point, the woman appears to rush forward and says, "I'm not letting him walk away with my phone!"
Harrold said the phone was returned by an Uber driver shortly afterward. The woman fled the scene before police officers arrived.
A rally was held Wednesday in support of the boy attended by his family, attorney Benjamin Crump and civil rights leader the Rev. Al Sharpton.
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The family is calling on the Manhattan district attorney to bring assault and battery charges against the woman "to send the message that hateful, racially motivated behavior is unacceptable." They also want a civil rights investigation into the Arlo Hotel "for its implicit bias" in its treatment of the teen.
A spokesperson for Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said the office is "thoroughly investigating this incident" but did not elaborate.
Hotel management said in a posting Sunday they reached out to Harrold and his son to apologize.
"We're deeply disheartened about the recent incident of baseless accusation, prejudice, and assault against an innocent guest of Arlo Hotel," they said in a Facebook post.
Keyon Harrold is originally from Ferguson, Missouri, and lives in New York City. He has performed with musicians including Beyoncé, Rihanna and Eminem, according to his website.
With the Associated Press