The 22-year-old woman who falsely accused Grammy-winning jazz musician Keyon Harrold’s 14-year-old son of stealing her iPhone at a New York hotel over the weekend has spoken out, disputing her portrayal in the viral video of the altercation.
The NYPD is currently investigating the incident, which Harrold recorded with his phone. Footage of the Saturday attack at the Arlo SoHo hotel has been viewed more than 2 million times.
Harrold and his son Keyon Jr., were guests at the hotel and were leaving their room for breakfast when the 22-year-old woman accused the teen of stealing her iPhone. The phone was ultimately returned to the woman when an Uber driver dropped it off at the hotel after she left it in the vehicle. The musician said the incident was traumatizing to his son and he was racially profiled.
But during a Tuesday phone conversation with CNN, the woman, who has not come forward or been publicly identified, disputed accusations of racism. While CNN has not confirmed the woman’s account, she claimed she was assaulted during the incident.
She told CNN the events transpired after she asked to see hotel surveillance footage to try and see who might have stolen her phone. Next, the woman asked at least one other person to “empty their pockets” before confronting Keyon Jr., accusing him of having her phone in his pocket.
“That’s when everything got a little bit more serious,” she said.
The woman also said the way she’s portrayed in the video is not a accurate depictuion of who she is. “That’s not who I am. I actually … try very hard to make sure that I am always doing the right thing.”
She said she is wiling to cooperate with police and speak with the Harrolds.
The woman did not return phone calls or messages to CNN after she was asked to provide evidence that shows she was assaulted.
The NYPD announced Tuesday that it would upgrade charges against the woman after obtaining footage of the incident, which shows the woman grabbing and tackling the teen as she tried to check his pockets following a verbal altercation.
“Our perpetrator initially started a verbal argument of this accusation and then tried to attack our teenager by grabbing for his phone, grabbing his leg and trying to tackle him. Our victim didn’t suffer any injuries. But his father, who he was with, received slight injuries,” said Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison at a press conference Tuesday. The woman has been identified but police have not located her.
The case was initially classified as harassment when police arrived at the scene after the woman had already left. “After we were able to get video, we’re now looking to charge this individual with assault and maybe even look at grand larceny or maybe even attempted robbery.”
“Take the case off, that’s mine, literally, get it back,” the woman said in the video, tapping the hotel manager’s shoulder.
The hotel manager appeared to side with the woman, who was not a hotel guest at the time, asking Keyon Jr. to produce his phone.
When Harrold and his son tried to walk away from the woman, she yelled, “No! I’m not letting them walk away with my phone!”
Harrold said the incident lasted for four or five minutes. Arlo Hotels said more could have been done to de-escalate the situation. Harrold spoke to The New York Times about the altercation and questioned how the events would have played out if the races were reversed, as the woman who instigated the incident appears to be white,
“I wonder what would happen if it were different, if it were a Black woman and there was a white 14-year-old,” he said.
Harrison said there are no plans to charge the woman with a bias crime at this time.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called the incident “Racism. Plain and simple,” on Twitter Monday.
“It would be horrific at any age, but it’s especially offensive that it happened to a child,” he said. “To Keyon Harrold Jr. and his family: I am so sorry this happened to you.”
