SoHo 'Karen' Miya Ponsetto Charged With Felonies for Cell Phone Attack
SoHo 'Karen' Arrested Over Cell Phone Attack ... Charged With 4 Felonies
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3:01 PM PT -- Prosecutors in New York are charging Miya with 4 felonies ... attempted robbery, endangering the welfare of a child, attempted grand larceny and attempted assault.
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2:11 PM PT -- Miya has just made her first appearance in Ventura County court before a judge, via Zoom.
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6:36 AM PT -- 1/8 -- Miya denied racially profiling Keyon Jr. in an interview with Gayle King hours before her arrest. The interview was so tense that at one point Miya essentially told Gayle to shut it.
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Miya says she admits she could have approached the situation differently "and maybe not yelled at him like that and made him feel some sort of inferior way and making him feel as if I was like hurting his feelings."
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The 22-year-old woman caught on camera allegedly physically attacking a 14-year-old Black teen and falsely accusing him of stealing her phone was arrested in California.
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) January 8, 2021 @CBSThisMorning
In an exclusive interview, Miya Ponsetto and her lawyer spoke with @GayleKing hours before she was arrested. pic.twitter.com/ezaGkcWZ8j
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She added, "I consider myself to be super sweet. I really never meant to hurt him or his father, either." But, when Gayle pressed Miya about the context of her actions, Miya responded, "How is one girl accusing a guy about a phone a crime? Where’s the context in that? What is the deeper story here?"
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When Gayle intersected, Miya told Gayle, "Alright, Gayle. Enough."
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7:54 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell us Miya went anything but peacefully. We're told officers attempted to pull her over 3 blocks from home, but she refused. Once in her driveway, officers had to physically pull Miya out of her car and in the process, she attempted to slam the door on a deputies leg, we're told she will likely face additional charges of resisting arrest.
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Ponsetto is being held without bail as she'll be extradited to NYC.
SoHo 'Karen' Miya Ponsetto's wrongdoing on the other side of the country has finally caught up with her in Los Angeles ... she was just taken into custody.
Law enforcement sources tell us they arrested Ponsetto Thursday in a joint effort by the Ventura County Sheriff and NYPD. We're told she's expected to be charged with attempted robbery for falsely accusing and assaulting a 14-year-old black child.
12/26/20
As we reported, officers from the NYPD were looking for Ponsetto after video surfaced showing the 22-year-old attacking a 14-year-old who she had accused of stealing her cell phone at the Arlo SoHo hotel in NYC. She tried to take the boy's personal phone during the attack, ridiculously believing it must be hers.
12/26/20
Ponsetto left to California shortly after the December 26 incident, laying low with her mom, but was spotted outside a McDonald's just last week.
Ponsetto has a history of run-ins with the law including 2 DUI busts in 2020 and getting arrested with her mom in February for allegedly being drunk in public at the Peninsula hotel in Bev Hills.
As for the 14-year-old who she attacked, Keyon Harrold Jr., his father tells us the family is seeking trauma therapy for their son.
Ponsetto's attorney, Sharen H. Ghatan, tells us the attack wasn't racially motivated, but instead a result of an anxiety attack. As for her phone ... that was later found in an Uber and returned to her.
Ghatan says she was unaware of Ponsetto's arrest, but says, "Miya has not grasped the severity of her circumstances. She is expressly disregarding advice and has gone rogue."
Ghatan continues, "I had an in-person meeting with Miya today, and after seeing her in person, I was able to determine she is simply unwell. She is emotionally and mentally fragile. I was forced to cancel national interviews due to my concern of her wellbeing and lack of understanding of the process. I am here to guide her as legal counsel - but if she is unwilling to take my advice, there is not much more I can do."
Originally Published -- 1/7 6:59 PM PT
