Plano Woman Arrested; Police Investigating Case as Possible Hate Crime
Steven Dial, Fox 4, August 25, 2022
A Plano woman was arrested on charges of assault and making terroristic threats after an incident outside a restaurant Wednesday night.
Police have video evidence of the incident that was posted on Facebook.
Esmeralda Upton, 58, is accused of using racial slurs during a physical attack on a group of Indian American women outside a restaurant.
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One of the women, Rani Banerjee, posted a five-minute video from the incident on Facebook, and it quickly spread across social media.
One of the women recording was on the phone with 911 throughout the exchange.
“She’s a white woman wearing a black dress,” the woman told 911.
“No, I am not white,” Upton said in the video. “I am Mexican! I am Mexican, and I paid my f**king way here!”
“We didn’t even talk to you. Why did you walk up to us to talk?!” one woman said.
“Because I hate you f**king Indians, that’s why!” Upton can be seen saying. “You guys come to our country.”
It’s not clear what started the incident and whether it started inside a business.{snip}
This racist attacking these innocent women is Esmi Upton of Plano, Texas. Full name: Esmeralda Armendarez-Upton, she is a realtor for California Federal Bank. She is a parishioner at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Plano, TX.
She wants to be famous for all the wrong reasons. pic.twitter.com/psYfOQpNW0
— Johnny Akzam (@JohnnyAkzam) August 25, 2022
Upton was arrested Thursday on charges of misdemeanor assault and misdemeanor terroristic threats. Police say they are investigating it as a hate crime.
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