The woman who attained viral infamy this week for falsely accusing a Black teenager of stealing her iPhone has been identified by the NYPD, according to a police spokesperson, and could face charges ranging from assault to grand larceny.
Police have not yet apprehended the woman, and the department is declining to release her name publicly. But according to Sophia Mason, an NYPD spokesperson, the suspect "has been positively identified and detectives are endeavoring to locate her."
The ugly incident unfolded inside the lobby of the Arlo Hotel on Hudson Street, where Grammy-winning trumpet player Keyon Harrold and his son planned to eat breakfast on Saturday. In a video posted to Instagram, the woman can be seen lunging at the younger Harrold, accusing him of stealing her iPhone, and ordering a manager to take his phone from him.
The woman then tried to attack the teenager, while scratching at his father, Harrold said. Shortly after the confrontation, the woman's phone was returned to the hotel by an Uber driver.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison said police planned to upgrade charges against the woman after obtaining new security camera footage of the incident. The Manhattan District Attorney's Office also announced that they are "thoroughly investigating" the incident.
"We’re now looking to charge this individual with assault and maybe even look at grand larceny or maybe even attempted robbery," Harrison said.
The incident is not being investigated as a bias incident, according to the department spokesperson.
Harrison also claimed the department had yet to identify the woman. A source familiar with the investigation told Gothamist that the NYPD detectives were given all of the woman's information on Saturday, immediately following the incident.
The source added that a Staten Island woman identified online as a possible perpetrator, was not the suspect. Harrold has urged his followers to wait for proof before making accusations.
On Tuesday morning, Harrold Jr. appeared alongside his dad on Good Morning America to discuss his feelings about the incident.
"I've been confused. I mean, don't know what would've happened if my dad wasn't there, honestly," he said. "These past few days, still kind of shell-shocked. But I'm hanging in there."
