You know her as “Corner Store Caroline”ÛÓbut her name is Teresa Sue Klein and she’s gone viral for being yet another in a long line of people to call the police on people of color for no reason.
This time the person was a child, which is part of why the video has been shared so many times. Teresa seems shockingly determined to use the police as her personal butlersÛÓbut more on that later.
The incident started at a small neighborhood store in Brooklyn, New York.
Teresa leaned over a counter to reach for something. A moment later, a mother and two young children made their way behind Teresa.
According to Klein, the young boy grabbed her. She argued with the boy’s mother for a moment before pulling out her phone and calling the policeÛÓtelling them that she was sexually assaulted by a child.
A crowd began to form trying to get Teresa to go away and leave the child alone. Both children can be heard clearly scared and crying.
The police responded 17 minutes after the call was made, but a report was not filed.
A passerby got the call on video.
He posted it to Facebook where it got over 5 million shares. There were millions more on Twitter.
People were FURIOUS.
Seriously? For a 9 year old accidentally bumping you? #CornerstoreCaroline get a damned life (also, if you really are a cop…I suggest you quit now) https://t.co/N2at6bWp6m
— Dr. missoularedhead (@missoularedhead) October 11, 2018
Comment from Facebook: ÛÏCops have become puppets for bigoted women’s weaponized tears.Û #CornerstoreCaroline
— Leanna Gustafson (@lleeaannaa_) October 12, 2018
#CornerstoreCaroline needs to be arrested for several reasons (in no order)…1) impersonating a cop 2) obscene gesture towards children 3) terrorizing the family 4) causing emotional stress on the children 5) lying to cops/false claims against an innocent child. @BrooklynDA
— Hawaiian Sofie (@MCSofie) October 13, 2018
The story doesn’t end there, though.
The community called out for answers, and soon enough reporters were on the case. Andrew Ramos of PIX11 in New York was able to find Teresa, find the surveillance camera footage and completely clear the child of any wrongdoing.
The footage clearly shows Teresa bend across the counter and the mother walk behind her with her two children. The little boy doesn’t even seem to notice Teresa and both of his hands are in plain view.
When he moves past her, his backpack brushes against her for a moment, but the child never touched her and didn’t even seem to realize his backpack bumped her.
Ramos tweeted the footage.
NEW: Surveillance footage proves white woman who called 911 on a young black child claiming he groped her – was wrong @PIX11News #CornerstoreCaroline Full story at 5 pic.twitter.com/agTK0MpgUG
— Andrew Ramos (@AndrewRamosTV) October 12, 2018
The store owner explained that Teresa has a history of this sort of thing and is known to be “unwell.”
That idea was supported when reporters tried to talk to her at her apartment. Ramos recorded video that shows Teresa talking to them through her apartment door and then calling the police claiming they threatened her with violence.
No such threats can be heard and officers who responded made no arrests.
UPDATE: Spoke to the woman who called police on a child. Her name is Theresa (the internet has dubbed her #cornerstorecaroline )
She called the cops on me and another reporter. @PIX11News pic.twitter.com/ugmnUX3cqf
— Andrew Ramos (@AndrewRamosTV) October 12, 2018
And now the NYPD has arrived to the womanÛªs – who the internet has dubbed #cornerstorecaroline – home after she claimed me and another reporter were harassing her and threatening her with violence. @PIX11News pic.twitter.com/9tAFA5qp8j
— Andrew Ramos (@AndrewRamosTV) October 12, 2018
Teresa did eventually give an interview.
In it, she sticks to her story that the little boy grabbed hr. She then claims that she didn’t watch the footage, that she was calling the police on the mother and that she never claimed to be a police officer.
Footage disproves all of those claims.
There is video on Twitter of Teresa standing in the store with a crowd full of people watching the footage. The footage of her initial call to officers shows her making a complaint about the child “assaulting” her, not mentioning the mother. The video also shows her shout at someone that she was a cop.
Teresa will not budge on her version of events, regardless of what can be proven.
We guess she is committed to the #CornerstoreCaroline narrative.
White woman falsely accuses 9-year-old black boy of sex assault at Brooklyn deli.
Despite new surveillance footage that debunks the claim, the woman – now known as #CornerstoreCaroline – sticks to her story in our exclusive interview @PIX11News pic.twitter.com/dNQAF7Vc67
— Andrew Ramos (@AndrewRamosTV) October 12, 2018
People don’t seem surprised, but they do seem upsetÛÓparticularly for the child involved.
_Ù÷â_Ù÷â she can’t believe her own foolishness. She had to go back and watch for herself.#unjustifiedfoolishness #cornerstonecaroline
— Ebonye Maria (@ebonyemaria) October 13, 2018
ThatÛªs why this gave me goosebumps.
— Lala _ÙÕ (@lalalovepasta) October 13, 2018
_ÙÑ£Black kids are never afforded the luxury of a childhood.
A woman claims she was sexually assaulted by a 9 yr old.
Calls the police.
Video evidence PROVES sheÛªs wrong.
She DOUBLES down.This is how they killed #EmmettTill.
_ÙÕÓ_ÙÕÓ#CornerstoreCaroline
pic.twitter.com/MEPCELSkzd— Ahmed Ali (@MrAhmednurAli) October 13, 2018
The part where she was gyrating at the family after the childÛªs backpack accudentally brushed her should be shown. (Uggghhh)What if a man was making lewd movements like that toward a little girl?! Of course child abusers say the child did something 1st.
— Robin Simrill (@RobinSimrill) October 13, 2018
Screw that lady!! Not only is that brought by racism, it hurts claims like Fords and so many legit stories. Maybe thatÛªs what sheÛªs trying to do, I mean there is video evidence ffs!!! Maybe by making this clearly false claims she WANTS to hurt real claims _Ù_Ó. Lock HER up!!
— Chris Crimy (@MiamiSixthMan) October 13, 2018
Emmett Till….. #NeverForget #NeverAgain
— PrisonReformMovement (@PrisonReformMvt) October 13, 2018
Teresa issued a rambling apology where she called herself an “unemployed Buddhist humanist and feminist.”
She denied being racist. Her neighbors disagree, claiming Teresa has written racial slurs in chalk in front of the building in the past.
They also claim Teresa has a thing for calling the police on people.
Teresa says she never wrote racial slurs, but acknowledges frequently calling the police. It’s worth noting that Teresa only apologized to the kids. She specifically stated that her apology did not extend to the mother, who Teresa blames for the whole incident.
How is mom to blame?
She stood up for her child rather than walking away.
Theresa stated:
ÛÏI would like to apologize to her daughter and her son but not to her. She could have walked away, but she didnÛªt.”
“IÛªm also a Buddhist, [but] I let my temper show. IÛªve been called racist before, and IÛªm not.Û
No word yet on whether mental health issues will be investigated by the police or DA.
