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Newly released bodycam footage has captured The View co-host Sunny Hostin attempting to persuade police officers not to arrest her son on trespassing charges.
The television personality and attorney was on a call with her son, Gabriel Hostin, 24, when he was detained by officers near Metro-North Railroad tracks in Westchester County, New York, last month.
According to the footage, the 57-year-old wasted no time identifying herself to the responding officers over the phone as a co-host of the ABC morning talk show and a former federal prosecutor. In the clip, obtained by the New York Post, Sunny can be heard telling the responding officers over the phone, "My name is Sunny Hostin and I'm one of the co-hosts of The View and I'm a former federal prosecutor." It comes after Sunny name-dropped The View to cops after her son’s arrest.
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Sunny repeatedly pressed officers to drop the citation, emphasizing that her son is a Harvard graduate with a clean record and that he had wandered into the restricted area by mistake during a run. As heard in the clip, Hostin told the cops, "That's my son. He's a Harvard graduate; he doesn't have a criminal record."
Additional bodycam footage, also obtained by TMZ, captures Sunny defending her son directly in front of officers after arriving at the scene, insisting he had made an "honest mistake" because they were unfamiliar with the area and no "no trespassing" signs were visible at the incline's entrance.
"I'm a former federal prosecutor. He knows. He's a Harvard grad who teaches 4th grade geometry to South Bronx kids," Sunny said. While accepting responsibility for the violation, she remarked, "He's not a kid who's ever in trouble. It's an innocent mistake."
At one point, Gabriel questioned the officers, "Is this necessary?" to which they responded, "Yes." As the police prepared a summons ticket, the Harvard graduate inquired, "What happens if you didn't do it?"
The officers explained their "hands were tied" and emphasized that if they hadn't discovered him near the tracks, another officer inevitably would have.
One of the police officers stated, "Because it is an arrestable offense. I want to make that clear, okay? Where you were on the tracks is an arrestable offense."
His colleague elaborated, "We're dimming it down to a trespass violation because you were in the right-of-way, you weren't in the gauge or anything, which is the middle area where the tracks were on.
"And you've been very cooperative with us and you have a good background, everything like that. We know you're not a criminal or anything like that but our hands are tied with cameras everywhere." Sunny is serving as her son's legal counsel, with a court date set for July 31.
According to TMZ, Sunny penned a letter to Westchester Assistant District Attorney Amanda Greene, requesting dismissal of the violation ahead of the scheduled court date.
"I would be grateful for the opportunity to discuss this matter before the scheduled appearance date, as I believe it can be resolved without the need for court intervention," she wrote.
"While jogging, he observed what appeared to be a gravel incline that could be used for hill training. Although there was a gate at the entrance of the gravel incline, the gates were standing open.
"The only 'No Trespassing' sign was affixed to the left gate and, because the gates were open, it was not visible to my client as he entered the property. "He reasonably believed the area was accessible and had no intention of entering private property unlawfully.
"While training on the hill, my client was approached by a police officer. The defendant called me immediately and I arrived at the location within minutes."
The Mirror US has reached out to Sunny Hostin's representatives for comment.
