The woman who was seen in a video falsely accusing the son of acclaimed jazz musician Keyon Herrold of stealing her phone from a New York City hotel was arrested Thursday at a residence in Piru on a felony arrest warrant in New York, according to the Ventura County Sheriff.
Miya Ponsetto was arrested by the Ventura County Sheriff in coordination with the New York City Police Department (NYPD). A NYPD team had flown as part of a joint investigation with Ventura County Sheriff.
Ponsetto had falsely accused the teenager of taking her cell phone and demanded that it be returned to him in a video that went viral on social media. Tensions then escalated, with the woman insisting that the teen had the phone, yelled at him, and eventually tackled him and tried to search his pockets before they could part, Harrold said.
He said he believed that he and his son, Keyon Harrold Jr., may have been racially profiled, although he said he did not know the woman’s race.
Los Angeles attorney Sharen H. Ghatan said Thursday that Ponsetto suffers from anxiety attacks and has mental health problems.
According to Ghatan, Ponsetto was alone at the time of the incident and all of her information, including her money and contacts, was on her device, causing her to panic.
“She lost her phone, she went crazy,” Ghatan said.
He also added that Ponsetto was sorry and that the incident had nothing to do with race, it was solemnly about the cell phone.
The photos show people of interest who may have been involved in the disturbances in the riot at the Capitol.
A Ventura County Sheriff’s spokesman says Ponsetto was uncooperative, resisting arrest, refused to get out of the car and tried to close the car door on one of the officers.
Ponsetto was arrested Thursday at 4:30 pm.
Ghatan is also representing Ponsetto in a Beverly Hills case that is scheduled for a hearing later this month. The 22-year-old was arrested in February 2020 and charged with assault and public intoxication along with her mother Nicole Ponsetto, according to documents obtained by NBC LA and NBC News.
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