CALGARY — The View co-host Sunny Hostin is facing criticism after newly released police body camera footage showed her identifying herself as a "former federal prosecutor" while speaking with officers after her son was cited for trespassing on Metro-North railroad property in New York.The footage, first obtained by the New York Post, shows Hostin approaching officers after they stopped her 24-year-old son, Gabriel Hostin, near Metro-North railroad tracks in Westchester County.“My name is Sunny Hostin and I’m one of the co-hosts of ‘The View’ and I’m a former federal prosecutor,” Hostin tells the officers before adding,"That's my son. He's a Harvard graduate; he doesn't have a criminal record."According to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Police Department, Gabriel Hostin told responding officers he had been jogging when he noticed a gate leading onto Metro-North railroad property was open and entered the area. Officers said he was found on an active railroad right-of-way, where public access is prohibited. Trespassing on Metro-North property can result in criminal enforcement depending on the circumstances.Instead of arresting him, officers issued Gabriel Hostin a trespass violation..In a letter obtained by TMZ, Sunny Hostin defended her son's actions to Westchester Assistant District Attorney Amanda Greene, who is prosecuting Gabriel Hostin's trespassing case.“When jogging, he observed what appeared to be a gravel incline that could be used for hill training,” Hostin wrote.“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.”In the letter, Hostin argued that her son mistakenly entered the restricted area because the open gate made it appear accessible and the warning sign was not visible as he entered.Neither ABC or The View has publicly commented on the incident or the release of the body camera footage. Hostin has appeared on the daytime talk show since the footage was made public but has not addressed the incident on air.Gabriel Hostin is scheduled to return to court in New Rochelle on July 31, court records indicate he is being represented by his mother.
