The Staten Island woman who was captured on video falsely accusing a Black teenager of stealing her phone and attacking him is now claiming she was assaulted.
The incident took place over the weekend at the Arlo SoHo Hotel in Manhattan. In the now-viral video, the woman accuses Grammy-winning musician Keyon Harrold’s son of stealing her iPhone. Shortly after the incident, a rideshare she previously used reportedly returned the phone to her. She allegedly left it in the car and didn’t apologize to Harrold or his son, Keyon Harrold Jr., for falsely accusing the 14-year-old of theft.
The 22-year-old woman, who has not been named, spoke out for the first time in an interview with CNN on Wednesday. She told CNN that she was “assaulted” but reportedly failed to provide any evidence that would corroborate the claim.
The woman also said she previously asked someone else to “empty their pocket” before taking aim Harrold Jr.
CNN reported that the woman was “rambling” throughout the interview. She also reportedly agreed to share proof of the alleged assault and then stopped responding to CNN’s repeated follow-ups.
In the video, the woman is seen lunging at Harrold, who protected his son from the woman, as well as the hotel manager, throughout the incident.
The hotel manager has also faced backlash for appearing to take the woman’s side, even though the woman was not a guest at the time of the incident, while Harrold and his son were.
“We strongly urge Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. to bring assault and battery charges against this woman to send the message that hateful, racially motivated behavior is unacceptable,” said civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, who accompanied Harrold during a news conference on Wednesday at City Hall, according to CNN.
The woman also said “that’s not who I am” in response to CNN’s queries about possibly facing charges.
“I actually … try very hard to make sure that I am always doing the right thing,” she told CNN.
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H/T CNN