Hispanic Costco customer who 'weaponized' her video accusing white family she didn't know of sexually abusing their adopted black daughter is arrested for lying to the police
A Hispanic woman who sparked outrage on social media after posting a video accusing a white family of sexually abusing their black, adopted child has been arrested for allegedly filing a false police report.
Angelica Marie Mendez, 23, of Desert Hot Springs, was charged on Saturday after officials in two states found that her video was not accurate and she 'weaponized' social media by spreading false information about an innocent family.
She was released the same day of her arrest after posting $25 bail, according to inmate records.
Mendez is seen in the video filming the family at a Costco in Palm Desert. 'So this family, they're not feeding their adopted child,' she says. 'She's crying. They're being racist towards their daughter. We need to expose these people, this family.'
She adds that the white family is 'disowning her' and 'probably using her as a slave.' Mendez concludes the video by saying that she called 911 on the family. She says, 'I'm not about to watch this go by. That is very rude and very disgusting of these people.' Police didn't arrive at the scene, but Mendez later filed a police report.
In her posts, which have since been deleted, Mendez said the black girl seemed sad so she approached her to ask what was wrong. She claimed that the girl 'begged for help' and said her parents raped and abused her.
The viral posts gained traction on social media and some users identified the girl and her family by name and publicized their home address. They also found the father's workplace and included a phone number to call so they could 'save' the girl.
DailyMail.com is declining to publish the video as it's been proven a hoax, but the two images below depict what Mendez saw that day in Costco.
She filmed the family at a Costco in Palm Desert and said they were 'disowning her' and 'probably using her as a slave'
The viral posts gained traction on social media and some users identified the girl and her family by name and publicized their home address
Mendez's video and police reports sparked investigations by both the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and Gilbert Police Department, in Arizona, who contacted the family.
The Gilbert Police Department shared in a tweet affirming that the child was 'safe and in good health.' The tweet adds, 'Through their investigation and subsequent interviews, it was found that the child had refused to eat the day of the video recording due to an upset stomach.'
Gilbert police added that the Arizona Department of Child Safety conducted its own separate investigation into the incident and that 'no evidence of any crime has been established.'
In a press release, the Riverside County Sherriff's Department said that there was 'significant public outrage' because of Mendez's accusations, which 'set in motion hundreds of staff-hours, by several law enforcement agencies, in two separate states.'
Mendez's video and police reports sparked investigations by both the Riverside County Sheriff's Department and Gilbert Police Department
The Gilbert Police Department shared in a tweet affirming that the child was 'safe and in good health'
'There were four independent investigations related to this incident. All four of the independent investigations concluded the allegations were false. It appears the reporting person had seemingly made up the allegations and had no supporting evidence to substantiate her claims. Her claims, both to law enforcement and publicly had numerous inconsistencies.'
'The countless calls to our Dispatch Center took up valuable call time for other citizens who were in need of emergency services. The Sheriff's Department would also like to explain that if this were a legitimate criminal incident, the frivolous aspects and misinformation would have hindered the investigation and ultimately the welfare of the child. Not to mention the adverse effect on any future prosecution efforts.'
The department added that Mendez weaponized social media to 'spread false information, criminal accusations, and racial bias against what is by all accounts a happy and healthy family.'
The department went on to remind people not to believe everything they see on social media. 'While we appreciate the understandable outrage with child-crimes, we encourage the public to be engaged and helpful toward law enforcement, so it can be a community effort when combating crime.
Mendez was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center and charged with reporting a false crime and providing false information to a police officer, both misdemeanor offenses. Her next court date is scheduled for December 1, 2021.
