California Woman Kicks Mexican People At Taco Shop, Screams 'Go Back To Mexico' At Them

A Bay Area woman was arrested twice on two separate suspected racially-motivated attacks against Mexicans.

The accused woman, identified as 62-year-old Laura Vawter, of Belmont, allegedly entered a laundromat in San Carlos on Oct. 28, attacked a man speaking Spanish on the phone, and yelled at the man to 'go back to Mexico.' Following this, she was arrested in connection with the incident. After she was released, she was subsequently arrested again for allegedly yelling and kicking staff and customers at Taqueria El Grullense on El Camino Real in Redwood City on Nov. 2, MSN reported.

Following the incident, Vawter was charged with a misdemeanor hate crime, battery, and other misdemeanors. Prosecutors stated that Vawter may be suffering from mental health issues since she "made numerous statements that were out of touch with reality."

Vawter currently remains in jail and her next court date is scheduled for Nov. 9.

Racially-motivated incidents in the United States reportedly increased during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, racial attacks happened against Asian-Americans after people wrongly believed that they had imported the virus to the United States.

Meanwhile, many parts of the country also saw an increase in hate crimes this year, particularly against transgender people.

In a similar but unrelated incident, a New York man who reportedly brutally punched an elderly Asian woman about 125 times pleaded guilty to a hate crime on Tuesday, Sept. 27, as previously reported.

Tammel Esco, 42, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault as a hate crime, a violent felony, seven months after he brutally attacked, punched, and stomped a 67-year-old Asian woman at her apartment building on Riverdale Avenue in Yonkers, New York.

On March 11, 42-year-old Esco called the 67-year-old victim, a woman of Filipino descent, an “Asian b----" as she was about to enter her apartment building on Riverdale Avenue in Yonkers. However, when she ignored him and kept walking, Esco followed her into her building and attacked her from behind as she tried to unlock the door to the lobby.

Esco then knocked her to the ground and punched her more than 100 times in and around her head, repeatedly stomped on her body, and also spat on her.

Following the brutal attack, the victim was transported to Westchester Medical Center and was treated for bleeding in her brain, multiple facial fractures, and bruising and lacerations to her head and face.

Esco was arrested the same day of the attack and has been held without bail since. Seven months after the brutal attack, on Tuesday, Sept. 27, Esco pleaded guilty to first-degree assault as a hate crime, a violent felony.

According to a statement released by the Westchester County district attorney’s office, he will be sentenced on Nov. 29 to 17½ years in state prison and five years of post-release supervision.