Victims are speaking out after woman who assaulted, yelled racial slurs at them is arrested
PLANO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A Plano woman has been arrested and charged with assault and making terroristic threats.
In a now viral video recorded by the victims, Esmeralda Upton is seen assaulting and threatening several Indian American women outside Sixty Vines in Plano last night.
The victims are sharing their story — and what you couldn't see on video.
For these three friends, it's hard to not keep reliving what happened.
"In one word, we are terrified," Rani Banerjee said.
"I feel extremely humiliated that could have happened in a place like this," Bidisha Rudra said.
Wednesday night they were wrapping up a dinner at a restaurant in Plano, saying goodbye in their native language, when they heard a woman yelling.
"She just said 'go back where you came from' and she used some harsh [language] and then she walks right up to us," Rudra said.
"..and the first thing I did was I started recording and then the other friend called 911," Banerjee said.
Police have identified the woman seen in their video has been identified by police as Esmeralda Upton, of Plano.
She continued to threaten them, again using several expletives.
"It just.. it hurts you right. It hurts you real bad," Banerjee said.
Then things turned physical.
"She said 'stop recording or else I'm going to shoot your head off,'" said Sabori Saha.
The executive director of the DFW chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations spoke to CBS 11 after Upton was caught on-camera using racial slurs.
He said that seeing this kind of hate is extremely shocking.
"Our entire sense of safety was shattered with this incident," Rudra said.
They turned off the camera. Police had arrived.
"That woman was asked to leave," Rudra said. "She was asked to take a breathalyzer test - and she refused - so they told her to call a family member who came and drove her away."
Upton was booked into the Collin County jail on assault and making terroristic threats. Her bond is set at $10,000.
"We definitely want to see justice served," Banerjee said. "We just want to make sure she has the right consequences."
"So that people will not dare to do this again to other people," Saha said.
CBS 11 stopped by Upton's Plano home today to see if she wants to respond to this incident — but neighbors said she had already been arrested.
Plano police are also investigating this incident as a possible hate crime and there may be more charges.
