Woman arrested after racist rant, assault in restaurant carpark

Woman in Texas harasses a group of Indian people. Photo / Supplied

A woman has been arrested and faces a possible hate crime charge after she was captured on video in a racist rant and assault on women of South Asian descent in a suburban Dallas parking lot, officials said on Thursday.

Plano police said in a statement Esmeralda Upton, 58, of Plano, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and terroristic threat charges.

She remained in city jail Thursday with bond set at US$10,000.

Police said Esmeralda Upton, 58, of Plano, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and terroristic threat charges. Photo / via video

The statement said the incident also was being investigated as a hate crime. Jail officials had no attorney listed for Upton.

The incident happened shortly after 8pm on Wednesday outside a Plano restaurant.

A widely-circulated video recorded by the women of Indian descent showed Upton unleashing a profanity-laced rant on them, challenging their presence in the United States, threatening to shoot them and physically assaulting the woman shooting the video.

Police said Esmeralda Upton, 58, of Plano, was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault and terroristic threat charges. Photo / via video

It was unclear from the video what, if anything, triggered the rant and assault.