Outrage continues in the racially charged confrontation in Plano that is being investigated as a possible hate crime.
The incident Wednesday night outside a restaurant involved a woman who identified herself as Mexican American verbally and physically attacking a group of Indian American women.
The group Indian American Impact said in a statement to NBC 5: ‘The attack is yet another in a string of deplorable anti-Asian hate crimes that have taken place over the past two years.’
Ayush Saha says his mother Sabori is one of the four women involved in the incident.
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“My mother has been the champion of my life. She’s the strongest female figure I’ve had,” said Saha.
The Plano native spoke with NBC 5 via Zoom from Washington D.C. where he attends Georgetown University.
Saha says his mother is physically and mentally okay, thanks to overwhelming support from friends, family and strangers.
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The family is demanding justice be served for the racist attack Sabori and her dear friends endured Wednesday night.
Saha says the group of women was standing in the parking lot after dinner.
The women, of Indian descent, were speaking Bengali when out of nowhere, “this random lady came up to them and started harassing them,” he said.
Saha says they tried to ignore her, but the woman continued to insult them, things escalated, and they took out their cell phones.
Several clips are circulating on social media, including Saha’s video which is about two minutes long.
The viral video shows the woman, identified by police as Esmeralda Upton of Plano, spewing hateful language against Indian people.
Upton is reportedly heard on video saying she ‘hates Indians,’ wishing they would go back to their country.
It’s a lady who has a lot of malice inside of her and she needed to ruin someone else’s day
Ayush Saha, mother was victim of racially charged confrontation
When one of the victims is heard telling the 911 operator that a ‘white woman’ is the aggressor, Upton corrects the woman by saying she’s ‘Mexican-American’ and that her family paid their way to the U.S.
Saha says his mother began to back up as best she could in her heels as the stranger turned toward her.
“Towards the end when she threatens to pull a gun out of her purse and shoot [my mom’s] brains out,” he said. “She was charging at her.”
Saha insists there’s nothing that happened before the women began to record the incident that would warrant the attack.
“From what I know, it’s a lady who has a lot of malice inside of her and she needed to ruin someone else’s day,” he said.
Before officers arrived, Upton is seen on camera apologizing to the women and trying to shake their hands.
The confrontation briefly landed Uptown in jail, according to police.
She faces two misdemeanor charges for assault and terroristic threats.
“We anticipate additional charges may be forthcoming,” said Plano Police spokesman Officer Andrae Smith.
Some people have questioned why police did not arrest Upton on the spot.
“A police officer cannot make a warrantless arrest not observed in their presence,” said Smith.
The detective on the case expedited the warrant and secured the arrest, he added. The department is investigating this as a hate crime, which could carry stiffer punishment if convicted.
“We’re taking it seriously,” said Smith. “There’s no place in Plano or even in the state of Texas for conduct like this.”
NBC 5 asked Plano police if officers suspected Upton was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the confrontation, Smith said no but he added someone did come to the scene and picked her up.
Plano police could not confirm whether Upton was armed; if she had taken out a gun, she would be facing a felony aggravated assault charge as well, said Smith.
Saha says there is no doubt in his mind this was a terroristic hate crime.
“This is not a 15-second video,” he said. “This is not just a slip of the tongue. This is something she truly believes in.”
He also says he does not believe Mexican Americans as a whole share the woman’s views, calling her ‘a bad apple.’
Asked if he has anything he wants to say to Upton, Saha said: “Make sure you keep your opinions to yourself next time.”
NBC 5 repeatedly tried contacting Upton for her side of the story, but we have not heard back.
