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NEW YORK (WPIX) — A Brooklyn woman is under fire after calling 911 on a young child, claiming he had groped her inside a Brooklyn deli.
The incident has sparked a firestorm on social media because the woman is white and the young child is black.
It all happened Wednesday at the Sahara Deli Market on Albemarle Road in Flatbush.
The woman identified as Teresa Klein was being rung up at the front counter when the child walked by.
According to Klein, the boy “grabbed my ass,” prompting her to call 911.
Video of the exchange outside the deli when Klein confronted the child and his mother was later posted on Facebook.
As the woman proceeds to yell at the family, the children weep and attract a crowd of bystanders shocked at what they are seeing.
Jason LittleJohn took the video and posted it online.
“How could she be sexually assaulted by a nine-year-old child who is walking by,” he told PIX11. “He was so traumatized by the situation he started crying, his sister started crying.”
The video itself went viral shortly after it was posted with over 6 million views as of Friday evening.
Klein was dubbed by the Internet as “Corner store Caroline” – just the latest moniker in a series of incidents where a white person calls the police on a black person.
Surveillance video obtained by PIX11 from inside the Sahara Deli appears to vindicate the young boy, clearly showing him walking by with his mother directly behind him as they exit the store.
Meanwhile, the woman at the center of the controversy is sticking to her account. Klein spoke exclusively with PIX11 outside her home where she says she’s been harassed after the video went viral.
“I was standing at the counter, and I was sexually assaulted,” she said in what could best be described as a surreal interview where Klein tackled numerous random topics.”I understand how it looks but she escalated and then I lost my temper at her not at that child.”
Accusing the boy’s mother of threatening her – in person and later in a voicemail – Klein made numerous accusations, even saying during the now-viral altercation that it was the child’s mother who claimed she was a police officer despite the footage clearly showing Klein declaring “I am a cop.”
“I did not say that, if I did say that I would be surprised,” she said.
The interview was interrupted by residents who say they’ve had enough of Klein who they say has a history of calling the police.
When it comes to what she hopes comes from her viral-fame, she said she wants to make amends.
“Maybe I could sit down with the young lady who got in my face, maybe we could do the interview together,” she said. “I hold no grudges whatsoever.”
Despite Klein insisting that she filed a police report on the day in question, officials with the NYPD confirmed to PIX11 that no report pertaining to the incident exists.
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