Police Seek California Woman Who Deliberately Coughed On Baby Over Social Distancing Dispute

California police are searching for a woman who was caught on camera coughing in a baby’s face at a restaurant over a week ago amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Surveillance video footage and the suspect’s photos were released by police Monday (June 22) for the public to come forward with any information.

The suspect was at a Yogurtland in San Jose when she walked up to the stroller and coughed at least two times in the 1-year-old occupant’s face at around 5:25 p.m., according to a news release by the San Jose Police Department.

"The preliminary investigation revealed the suspect was upset the female was not maintaining proper social distancing, so the suspect removed her face mask, got close to the baby’s face, and coughed 2-3 times," Sergeant Enrique Garcia said.

The suspect reportedly left the establishment after the incident and yet remains to be identified.

The young boy’s mother Mireya Mora detailed the incident to KGO-TV, insisting the suspect’s actions were racially motivated. She said the suspect got mad at her for not maintaining enough distance in a line and removed her mask to cough in the baby’s face, leaving her horrified.

"It happened so quick I was in shock. She got close, she took off her mask, and she coughed three times super hard on my son's face," Mora told the station. "Coughing on someone's face. She did it on purpose it's not like she did it on accident, oh cough, cough - no she purposely coughed on my son's face."

Mora, who is Hispanic, said the white woman switched to harassing from taking jibes once she and her grandmom started conversing in Spanish.

"I believe this woman may be racist because the family in front of her is white. Me and my grandma are Hispanic and she started telling me about my distance and harassing me and my son once I started speaking Spanish to my grandma," Mora added.