NEW YORK (WHDH) - A heated confrontation was caught on camera after a woman falsely accused the son of a Grammy award-winning musician of stealing her phone at a hotel in Manhattan on Saturday.
Video shared on Instagram by Keyon Harrold shows the woman, who appears to be white, inside Arlo SoHo, saying to his 14-year-old Black son, “Take the case off (of the phone), that’s mine. Literally give it back.”
A hotel manager then stepped in and said that he was trying to help solve the situation.
Harrold responded with, “You’re not helping. What you’re being is disrespectful.”
He claimed that the woman scratched him, as well as tackled and grabbed at his son.
Harrold added that the incident went on for 5 more minutes before her phone was returned to her by an Uber driver.
He says the woman made no apologies to him or his son, nor did the manager, who Harrold says empowered her behavior.
Arlo Hotels released a statement Sunday, which reads in part, “In investigating the incident further, we’ve learned that the manager on duty promptly called the police regarding the woman’s conduct and that hotel security intervened to prevent further violence; Still, more could have been done to de-escalate the dispute. We want to apologize to Mr. Harrold and his son for this inexcusable experience, and have reached out to them directly to express our sincere regret and to offer help in dealing with this traumatic event.”
Harrold shared a message on his Instagram page thanking everyone who has reached out and support his family.
Police say they’ve received a report about the incident and are investigating.
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