A tech CEO who was caught on video yelling at an Asian American family at a California restaurant apologized on Tuesday, saying he “lost control.”
Michael Lofthouse, the CEO of Solid8, a cloud computing firm based in San Francisco, told ABC affiliate KGO-TV in a statement that his actions were “appalling.”
The video of the Friday incident went viral on Tuesday and showed Lofthouse giving the family the middle finger and saying, “Trump’s going to f— you.”
“This was clearly a moment where I lost control and made incredibly hurtful and divisive comments,” Lofthouse said in a statement to KGO-TV.
“I was taught to respect people of all races, and I will take the time to reflect on my actions and work to better understand the inequality that so many of those around me face every day,” he added.
Raymond Orosa, whose family was celebrating a birthday at the restaurant Lucia, told KGO-TV that he believes that Lofthouse was “just saving face” with his apology.
“I don’t believe his words because his actions speak louder than the words he’s saying,” he said.
Orosa added, “I can’t say what he did was acceptable or right, it isn’t, because a lot of people will probably disagree with me for saying I forgive him… but I do.”
Orosa’s niece Jordan Chan posted a video of the incident on Monday, saying Lofthouse “relentlessly harassed” her family after they were singing “Happy Birthday” to her aunt.
The video starts with a member of the family asking Lofthouse to repeat what he had said to the family, prompting him to give the family the middle finger. The man then says “Trump’s gonna f— you” and calls a family member an “Asian piece of shit.”
The family requests the restaurant management remove the man in the video, leading to a Lucia employee telling him to “get out,” saying, “You do not talk to our guests like that.”
The recording comes as other video incidents have shown Asian Americans experiencing racist abuse during the coronavirus pandemic, The Washington Post reported.
Critics attribute the reported rise in anti-Asian American incidents to President Trump and Republican leaders blaming China for the pandemic. Chan agreed.
“The fact that Donald Trump is our president … gives racists a platform and amplifies voices of hate,” she wrote in her Instagram caption. “The surfacing of racists is so prevalent right now, even in such an ethnically/culturally diverse and liberal state like California, because Trump HIMSELF uses his position to incite racial tension.”
Trump has repeatedly called the coronavirus the “kung flu” and the “China Virus” in his speeches and tweets.