'SoHo Karen' arrested after viral video showed her tackling 14-year-old boy at a NYC hotel

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - A young woman who went viral on social media for a racially-motivated attack in New York has been arrested in Ventura County.

The woman, 22-year-old Miya Ponsetto, was seen on video accusing the 14-year-old son of jazz trumpeter Keyon Harrold of stealing her iPhone.

In what many perceived as a racially-motivated attack, Ponsetto tackled the boy in a Manhattan hotel lobby over what later turned out to be his own cellphone. Many who watched the viral video on social media began calling Ponsetto "SoHo Karen."

Days after the incident, Ponsetto was taken into custody. According to jail records, Ponsetto is being charged with felony fugitive from justice and is in Ventura County jail.

As the incident was under investigation, people in Los Angeles believed Ponsetto may have been involved in at least one local hotel altercation.

Beverly Hills police confirm that Ponsetto and her mother were arrested at the Peninsula Hotel in February of 2020 when they refused to leave and officers were called in to remove them. Ponsetto was arrested for being drunk in public, as was her mom, who also faces charges for assaulting a police officer.

Seems that at the time she was caught on video at the Arlo SoHo in NY, Ponsetto was also on parole after pleading no contest on a local DUI arrest in May of 2020. Lost Hills Sheriff confirm it’s the same woman.

The Arlo security images released by the NYPD show her following and tackling the 14-year-old, to prevent him from leaving. Her phone was eventually returned to her by an Uber driver who reportedly said she had left it behind in the vehicle. 

We were not able to reach her or family members for any comment.

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