A woman who was caught on camera purposely coughing in a 1-year-old’s face because she believed his mother was not practicing social distancing rules has been removed from her job.
The incident occurred at a Yogurtland store in San Jose, California on June 12th.
According to the report, the mother of the child says the woman became argumentative with her because she believed she was not keeping proper social distancing while in the store.
At one point during the argument, the woman moved close to the 1- year-old boy’s face while he sat in his stroller, removed her mask, and then coughed 2-3 times before leaving the store.
The mother who is Hispanic also said that she believes the incident may have been racially motivated because the woman kept asking if she spoke English and whether or not she understood her.
“She said, ‘So you don’t understand, and do you even understand what I’m saying?’ Like I’m not even speaking English,” said the child’s mother, Mireya Mora.
Authorities reported that they were finally able to identify and locate the woman after publicly releasing the video, however, they have not released her name because they ” can’t release the names of suspects until there is a warrant for their arrest, they were booked into jail, or they were issued a criminal citation,” said San Jose police Sgt. Enrique Garcia last month.
While the woman’s name was not publicly released, it was stated that she worked for the Oak Grove School District and that they were aware of the situation. The district has since released a statement saying that due to the woman’s actions, she no longer works for them:
“The Oak Grove School District’s highest priority is the safety of our students and the well-being of all of the children in the community we serve. We do not tolerate conduct from any employee that compromises any child’s safety.”
It is unclear if the woman was fired from her job or if she left on her own accord.