Police are looking for a San Jose woman who appeared to cough with a 1-year-old boy in a store after she accused the boy’s mother of being too close to her.
The incident occurred on June 12, just before 5:30 pm, in a Yogurtland, while the unidentified woman, believed to be in her 60s, stood in line in front of the mother and child, they were in a pram.
The San José Police Department said in a press release that the suspect “was upset that the woman was not maintaining adequate social distancing, so the suspect removed his face mask, approached the baby’s face, and coughed 2 -3 times”. Then he left the store.
The incident was captured on video and reported by the police department. It shows the mother standing in line with the stroller between her and the suspect.
The mother, Mireya Mora, told the NBC Bay Area that the woman made a racist comment at the store. Mora is Hispanic and the suspect is apparently white.
“She said, ‘Then you don’t understand, and do you even understand what I’m saying?’ As if he didn’t even speak English, “she said.
Mora said her son has had trouble sleeping since the incident.
“I can’t believe someone has a heart to do this, and why? My son did nothing wrong,” he told the store. “My son should not have experienced this.”
The woman is wanted for assault. Police said anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest and conviction may be eligible for a cash reward.
