Protesters at City Hall urge punishment for white woman caught on video accusing Black teen of stealing phone

Dozens of people came together in a rally outside of City Hall on Wednesday saying they are outraged after a white woman falsely accused a Black teen of stealing her cellphone.

In a video that went viral, a woman can be seen accusing the teen of stealing her phone and telling him "he's' not leaving" until he shows her the phone he has. The woman is then accused of scratching the father and tackling the teenage son.

The incident happened last Saturday at the Arlo Hotel.

The family's attorney says the woman's phone was later returned to her after it was found in an Uber.

Protesters at City Hall told News 12 they want the woman in the video to face consequences because they believe the family was racially profiled.

They also say claim this proves there is a double standard, saying if a Black man had tackled a white teenager, the consequences would have been more severe.

The NYPD says it is investigating the incident. NYPD officials say they have identified the woman and are trying to locate her.

Leaders of the rally say if racial profiling goes unpunished, it will lead to incidents where people of color could lose their lives.

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