The video, released Wednesday night by NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison, shows the woman rush 14-year-old Keyon Harrold Jr. in the Arlo Hotel Saturday.
By Matthew Allen, TheGrio
On Saturday, a white woman frantically accused a Black teen of stealing her iPhone at a New York City hotel, only to discover moments later that it was left behind in an Uber.
The teen is the son of Grammy-award winning trumpet player Keyon Harrold, who captured the incident of the woman lunging at him and his son on video.
In the video, posted on Harrold’s Instagram page, the unidentified woman is seen urgently telling the hotel manager that the 14-year-old had taken her phone. As the teenager said, “this is my phone,” Harrold intervened, telling him: “You don’t have to explain nothing to her.”
BBC News
Published
image captionKeyon Harrold said the incident had traumatised his son
An investigation has been launched after a 14-year-old black teenager was allegedly assaulted by a white woman who falsely accused him of stealing her phone in a hotel lobby in New York.
Grammy award-winning trumpeter Keyon Harrold posted a video online showing the woman, who has not been identified, repeatedly shouting at him and his son.
Mr Harrold said the incident had traumatised his son.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said: This is racism. Plain and simple.
In a tweet, he added: It would be horrific at any age, but it s especially offensive that it happened to a child.
Loading the player.
On Saturday, a white woman frantically accused a Black teen of stealing her iPhone at a New York City hotel, only to discover moments later that it was left behind in an Uber.
The teen is the son of Grammy-award winning trumpet player
Keyon Harrold, who captured the incident of the woman apparently lunging at him and his son on video.
In the video, posted on Harrold’s Instagram page, the unidentified woman is seen telling the hotel manager that the 14-year-old had taken her phone. As the teenager said, “this is my phone,” Harrold intervened, telling him: “You don’t have to explain nothing to her.”