‘Soho Karen’ Miya Ponsetto, Arrested for Attacking Black Teen, Son of Jazz Trumpeter Keyon Harrold

22-year-old California-native Miya Ponsetto was recently arrested for tackling 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. over a cell phone debacle.

Miya Ponsetto has been arrested for four felonies after attacking Keyon Harrold Jr. in a hotel lobby. According to the Los Angeles Times, Miya Ponsetto was “charged with four felonies related to the incident: attempted robbery, endangering the welfare of a child, attempted grand larceny, and attempted assault.”

Ponsetto was staying at a hotel in lower Manhattan later dubbed her the moniker  ‘SoHo Karen’ by Twitter. She went to the front desk to tell them that her phone had been stolen. Ponsetto sees Keyon Harrold Jr and his father in the lobby. Keyon Harrold Sr filmed her on his phone as she walked over to his son and accused him of stealing her phone. After that, camera surveillance footage shows her grabbing Harrold Jr’s waist as he attempts to walk away.

Wow! This woman made baseless claims against @keyonharrold and his 14yo son at @arlohotels Arlo SoHo — then assaulted them, scratching Keyon & tackling his boy. Worse, the hotel manager defended & empowered her actions, and refused to apologize after her claims were proven wrong! pic.twitter.com/LqHboiAEd6

— Ben Crump (@AttorneyCrump) December 27, 2020

As well as these current charges, Ponsetto has had two DUIs on her record: one in Malibu in May and the second on October 3 in Ventura County. The latter of which went viral on YouTube.

Harrold Jr. is the son of jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold Jr. as well as Kat Rodriguez who has toured as a singer and saxophonist for Beyoncé. They were both interviewed by Gayle King on CBS News.

In reaction to the events, Rodriguez says that she is “so angry at that hotel” because “this could have been de-escalated a long time ago.”

Harrold said that he’s “happy that she’s been arrested.” However, he feels that it is only one part of “a very big conversation that needs to happen here in America that has to do with racial profiling.” 

Harrold Sr has shared resources to his Instagram account after the incident including petitions to hold the hotel responsible. He also shared a list of hotels to boycott at this time stating, “The @arlohotels is complicit in racial profiling and the subsequent attack of my son (he is a minor 14) and me. They are responsible for what happened on Dec 26th. This kind of thing should never happen to patrons.”

Ponsetto and her attorney Sharen Ghatan were interviewed at an earlier date by King. In this interview, Ponsetto states that she “wasn’t racial profiling whatsoever” because she is “Puerto Rican” and therefore “a woman of color.” 

#MiyaPonsetto saying “I’m Puerto Rican” as a defense against racism and anti-Blackness is exactly why you should watch “Afro-Latinx Revolution.” Our interviewees unpack the gaslighting, denials and dishonesty around racism that allows people to really think this a legit response.

— Natasha S. Alford (@NatashaSAlford) January 4, 2021

When asked if she felt that being a woman of color exempted her from being racist, Ponsetto responded, “Exactly.”

Harrold says that he would not have been able to take the same actions as Ponsetto. Instead, he would  “be in jail now. We wouldn’t even be able to have this conversation. As a Black man, every day I walk outside, I have to play the perfect game, almost like throwing a no-hitter, just to be believed.”

You can sign the petition to hold the hotel accountable and bring justice to the attack of Keyon Harrold Jr here.