Woman Arrested In Possible Hate Crime Assault In Plano: Police

PLANO, TX — A Plano woman was arrested Thursday in connection with an assault that occurred outside a restaurant, and police are investigating the incident as a hate crime, according to the Plano Police Department.

Esmerelda Upton is charged with assault causing bodily injury and making a terroristic threat, both misdemeanors, and is being held in Plano City Jail on $10,000 bond. More charges could be filed, according to authorities.

Video widely circulated on social media shows Upton confronting a group of Indian women outside Sixty Vines restaurant in a profanity-filled, racist rant and striking several of them in the span of a few minutes.

Upton is seen in the video telling the women to "go back to India" and "we don't want you here" before striking the woman who is recording the interaction with her phone. While one of the women calls 911, Upton strikes another woman and continues yelling at them, the video shows.

One of the women asks Upton why she walked up to talk to them.

"I hate you (expletive) Indians, that's why," Upton replied, according to the video.

Another video showing a different angle of the interaction shows Upton approaching a retreating woman before reaching into her purse and threatening the woman for recording her.

"You turn that (expletive) phone off or I swear to God, I'll (expletive) shoot your (expletive)," Upton is heard saying in the video.

It's unclear from the videos what, if anything, started the incident.

One of the victims posted on Facebook about the incident, saying the group of women was heading back to their cars after eating at the restaurant when "an angry, drunk woman came at us with hateful racial slurs and even physically attacked us."

"I have lived in DFW for 29 years and never have I felt so humiliated, threatened, and scared for my life," the poster said.