Victim of Texas woman’s vile racist attack in parking lot speaks out: ‘We were shocked’
Police say Esmeralda Upton under investigation for hate crimes and has been charged with assault
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The victim of a Texas woman’s vile racist attack in a parking lot has said she was “shocked” at the hatred she was subjected to.
Rani Banerjee and three of her friends were confronted by the woman after having dinner in Plano, Texas, and subjected to racial slurs and physical assault.
Police have identified the suspect in the case as Esmeralda Upton, who is the subject of an ongoing investigation and may face hate crime charges.
Authorities say she was arrested on the basis of witness statements and has already been charged with assault bodily injury and terroristic threats.
“Suddenly, we heard this woman yelling at us and started coming toward us. We were shocked by the racial slurs that she used and combative attitude,” Ms Banerjee told TV station WFAA.
“What was so very scary is she came very close and not only verbally assaulted us but started physically assaulting us. She started hitting me.”
In the video, which went viral after the incident, the suspect can be heard shouting, “Go back to India, we don’t want you here.”
The suspect identified herself as Mexican-American and told the group that she “hated Indians.”
When she was asked why she was bothering the group, she replied: “Because I hate you f****** Indians. That’s why. All these f****** Indians, they come to America because they want a better life.”
Ms Upton can also be heard on the video telling the women that she was born in the US and demanding to know where they were born.
When one of the women asks “what makes you think we’re not Americans?”, Ms Upton replies back saying, “Because of the way you speak.”
The group called 911 and say that Plano police responded to the incident within minutes.