San Jose woman arrested after accusing father of trafficking daughter in viral video

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A San Jose woman was arrested on suspicion of hate crimes and stalking after allegedly harassing a father and his daughter while they were walking in San Jose's Almaden neighborhood, according to police.

Police said the woman repeatedly approached the pair in her car and made discriminatory remarks.

Authorities also said the incident was not the first involving the woman and that she was connected to other similar encounters.

Video of the confrontation, which was recorded by the father and later circulated on social media, captured the woman accusing him of trafficking his own daughter because of their skin color.

The video shot here has since gone viral of the woman accusing a father of trafficking his own daughter simply because of their skin color. It was so shocking to residents they couldn't believe it happened here in San Jose. Residents who saw the video said they were surprised by what they witnessed.

"I was a bit shocked to see that was happening because I felt that racial injustice was something this kind of society- kind of figured out already," Andrew Park said.

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"I wouldn't expect something like that to happen here," Victor Chlenov said.

The encounter occurred along a section of the Guadalupe Creek Trail near Aspen Creek, where the father and his 6-year-old daughter were walking.

The man, who asked not to be identified, said an unknown woman drove up to them several times.

After repeated encounters, he began recording the interaction on his phone. In the video, the woman can be heard saying: "I'm making sure that you're not sex trafficking this poor little girl who's very unhappy to be with you and doesn't look like your child. That's a white little girl and you are a man of color."

The father, who described himself in the video as brown and his daughter as half-white, said the woman also asked whether he was legally in the country and whether he was buying or selling.

In another portion of the recording, the woman says: "I'm recording you too. I work with the feds. Have a good day."

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The father contacted police. Investigators later identified and arrested the woman with the help of automated license plate reader cameras, according to authorities.

Police said the woman was also responsible for other similar incidents, including one at a high school in south San Jose.

Authorities did not publicly identify her.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said there is no place for hate in San Jose.

Andrew Park, who was walking the same trail Friday, said incidents like this reflect misunderstandings about race and how people should treat one another.

"People act that way because they don't have a clear idea about race and how they should be behaving towards others. There are still people who has some wrong ideas and a wrong mindset who deserve to be kind of reeducated about society," Park said.

Police said the investigation remains active.