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WASHINGTON, Aug 28 (Reuters) – Police in Texas have arrested a woman they say shouted racial slurs at four Indian women in a viral video, telling them to “go back to India,” in an incident that drew the attention of federal authorities.
“This incident is a hate crime under Texas law,” police in Plano, Texas, where the incident occurred, said in a statement Saturday.
“This incident may also be a hate crime under federal law, and we are working closely with the FBI and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division on this case.”
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In a video of the incident, which was shared on social media and garnered millions of views, the woman is seen shouting racist comments in a parking lot at a group of four women of Indian origin.
“Go back to India, we don’t want you here,” he said in the video. “I hate you fucking Indians,” added the woman, who identified herself as Mexican-American in the video.
The woman’s arrest occurred on Thursday. Video of the incident on Wednesday went viral on social media, particularly in India and the United States.
Police said the woman, Esmeralda Upton, was arrested on one count of “assault bodily harm” and one count of “terrorist threats.” She was held on a total bond of $10,000.
One of the Indian women, Rani Banerjee, said she and three of her friends had just finished dinner at a restaurant when the woman confronted them in the parking lot.
“All of a sudden, we heard this woman yell at us and we started coming towards us. We were shocked by the racial slurs she used and her combative attitude,” Banerjee told an ABC News affiliate. Banerjee began recording the incident on her phone.
The video also appears to show Upton beating up the women.
“What was so scary is that he got really close and not only verbally assaulted us, but he started physically assaulting us. He started hitting me,” Banerjee said.
A representative for Upton could not be immediately reached for comment.
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(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington Editing by Alistair Bell)
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Source: www.reuters.com