‘You’ll never be white’: Footage goes viral of woman’s exchange with LA deputy during traffic stop

Footage showing the moment a woman berated a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy during a traffic stop last month, referring to him as a “Mexican racist” and telling him he would “never be white,” is going viral.

In an edited clip of body camera footage from the stop, which has racked up over 5.7 million views on Twitter, the deputy could be seen approaching the car of the unidentified woman, whose face is blurred. 

The officer, who has also not been identified, told the woman at the start of the clip that he was pulling her over for holding her phone while driving. 

In response, the woman, whose race isn’t clear from the video, said she had been recording the deputy with her phone because he scared her.

“Yes, I started to record because you’re a murderer,” the woman says after accusing the officer of harassing her by following her.

When the deputy asked her for her driver’s license, the woman said it was at her residence, and added that she had her son in the car with her, as well.

Later in the clip, the woman asks the deputy to call his supervisor, to which he responds that he “already did.”

“And so, you’re giving me a cell phone ticket? Is that why you’re harassing me?” the woman later asks.

“It’s not harassment, I am enforcing the law, ma’am,” the officer replied. 

At one point, another man in uniform appears on the footage and informs the woman the other deputy is giving her a citation for using her phone while driving. 

NEW: “You’re always gonna be a Mexican, you’ll never be white, you know that?”
A Latino LASD deputy sent me his bodycam video of a woman claiming to be a teacher launching into a racist tirade against him when he pulled her over in San Dimas. She repeatedly calls him a murderer. pic.twitter.com/Cc8jSVenCQ

— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) May 3, 2021

“All he needs is your signature, he’s only citing you for using your cell phone while you’re driving, that’s it,” he states.

“For him being a Mexican racist? What is that name? Gasto?” she says as she appears to sign the citation.

“You’re always going to be a Mexican. You’ll never be white, you know that right? You’ll never be white, which is what you really want to be. You want to be white,” she said. “You want to be white so bad.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, the incident took place on April 23.

After the incident, the woman reportedly filed a complaint against the officer alleging “discourtesy.”

In a tweet earlier this week, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva commended how the deputy responded during the stop.

“This Deputy exemplifies the core values of our Department, his demeanor during this traffic stop is just an example of professionalism and patience our @LASDHQ Deputies have,” he said.

This Deputy exemplifies the core values of our Department, his demeanor during this traffic stop is just an example of professionalism and patience our @LASDHQ Deputies have. https://t.co/ifnZPsyw0H

— Alex Villanueva (@LACoSheriff) May 4, 2021

The viral moment comes as tensions have escalated in the nation over policing in the past year following the police killings of Black Americans. The incident also came three days after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all charges in the murder of George Floyd.

It’s unclear what grounds the woman would have to fight the citation should she choose to challenge it. 

Jody Armour, who teaches law at the University of Southern California, told the Times “the prohibition against using cell phones behind the wheel is to prevent distracted driving,” but added, “if I’m using it to record a threat … there’s room at least for argument.”

However, Armour said it hurts the woman’s chances when she began to get personal with her comments.

“It assumes that you know what the motivations of this particular [deputy] are. It is unfortunate,” he added.

One law professor, John Myers, who teaches at U.C. Hastings, told the paper the woman could face consequences for what he termed as a “racist verbal attack,” adding the moment could be viewed as a hate incident due to her actions.