On Thursday (January 7), Miya Ponsetto, dubbed ‘Soho Karen,’ was taken into custody by police in California.
Video captured Ponsetto assaulting the 14-year-old son of jazz musician Keyon Harrold, Sr. on December 26 after she falsely accused the teen of stealing her phone.
According to a report by the New York Times, detectives from the NYPD traveled to California to interview Ponsetto.
Though what charges Ponsetto will face as a result of her actions remain unknown, her arrest comes after the teen’s parents, legal team, and public outcry called for legal consequences.
Ponsetto, along with her attorney Sharen H. Ghatan, was interviewed by Gayle King just hours before her arrest. In the interview, Ponsetto refused to take responsibility for the actions she took against the teen, though she admitted she could’ve handled the situation differently.
She told King in the interview, “I’m a 22-year-old girl,” to which King responded, “You’re old enough to know better.”
Ponsetto became indignant during the interview and told King, “All right, Gayle, enough.”
Her lawyer can be heard whispering to her, “No, stop. Stop.”
The footage of Ponsetto’s attack circulated social media after the teen’s father posted it on Instagram, drawing outrage and swift backlash against Ponsetto.
Ponsetto joins countless others who are caught on tape making baseless accusations about criminal activity by Black people, which has resulted in the enactment of laws to punish these false emergency calls on the basis of race, or other forms of identity.
This wasn’t the first time Ponsetto had run in with the law. She and her mother Nicole Ponsetto were forcibly removed by police from a Beverly Hills hotel last February after staff repeatedly asked them to leave.
Photo: Getty Images