A white woman who in a widely shared video appeared to call the authorities on an 8-year-old black girl for “illegally selling water without a permit” claimed on Monday that she had acted out of frustration, not racial animus.

The woman, Alison Ettel, said that she was at home in San Francisco when she was disrupted by the girl, Jordan Rodgers, and her mother, Erin Austin, selling bottled water outside of their apartment building.

“I tried to be polite, but I was stern, and I said, ‘Please, I’m trying to work, you’re screaming, you’re yelling, and people have open windows. It’s a hot day. Can you please keep it down?’” Ms. Ettel said in an interview that aired on NBC’s “Today.”

Ms. Austin, however, disputed that account, telling “Today” that she and Ms. Ettel had never discussed the noise.