Angelica Marie Mendez is a woman from Desert Hot Springs, California. She has been accused by police of providing false information, triggering multiple investigations.
Angelica Marie Mendez #CostcoGirl Arrest Details
Menedez made a video and social media posts that went viral online, alleging that a Black girl accompanied by white members of her family at a Costco was being denied food. Menendez alleged that the family was “probably using her as a slave.”
The video trended with the hashtag #CostcoGirl.
Police in Gilbert, Arizona said that they had conducted a welfare check based on a claim filed with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office “after they were made aware of a video recording at a Costco where an individual alleged that a family was withholding food from one of their children.”
That police office noted, “Gilbert officers contacted the family and found the child to be safe and in good health. 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 also said, “The Arizona Department of Child Safety conducted its own separate investigation into the incident. No evidence of any crime has been established.”
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department (Palm Desert Station) said of the allegations: “These serious allegations set in motion hundreds of staff-hours, by several law enforcement agencies, in two separate states.”
They concluded that Angelica Marie Mendez’s allegations were false.
Riverside County Sheriffs: “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.
Because of the horrendous nature of the allegations there was significant public outrage. This outrage sparked countless calls to our Dispatch Center, city, and county officials. All the while the four independent investigations were fully staffed and tracking accordingly.”
They said calls based on Mendez’s claims “took up valuable call time for other citizens who were in need of emergency services.”
Mendez was arrested for the false claims.
Riverside Sheriffs: “On Saturday, August 28, 2021, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department arrested Angelica Marie Mendez, 23-years-old, from Desert Hot Springs for providing false information to a police officer and knowingly filing a false police report.”
People on Social Media Published Addresses Of Falsely Accused Family. “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.” [Daily Mail]
One of the first political bloggers in the world, Oliver Willis has operated OliverWillis.com since 2000. Contributor at Media Matters for America and The American Independent. Follow on Twitter at @owillis. Full bio.
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