Michael Lofthouse, the CEO of cloud computing IT firm Solid8, who was captured on film telling an Asian family they didn’t belong in a Carmel Valley, California restaurant before calling them “a piece of sh*t” and warning them “Trump’s gonna f**k you,” has issued a lame apology after the video made his racist rant international news.
The aftermath of the incident was captured on video by Jordan Chan, who said she had been singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her aunt at Bernardus Lodge and Spa’s Lucia restaurant when Lofthouse began yelling things at them like “F**k you Asians”, “Go back to whatever f**king Asian country you’re from”, and “You don’t belong here”.
Watch the video HERE.
In the video, Chan told Lofthouse to repeat what he said, and Lofthouse said, “F**k you. You f**kers need to leave. You Asian piece of sh*t” while giving the group the finger.”
The family’s waitress stepped in and began yelling at Lofthouse: “You need to leave. No, you do not talk to our guests like that. You need to leave right now. Get out of here. You are not allowed here ever again.”
“He’s just saving face. I think he really meant what he said and what he did,” said Raymond Orosa, one of the diners at the table, to ABC7 San Francisco. “I don’t believe his words because his actions speak louder than the words he’s saying.”
Said Lofthouse in a statement to the network: “My behavior in the video is appalling. This was clearly a moment where I lost control and made incredibly hurtful and divisive comments. I would like to deeply apologize to the Chan family. I can only imagine the stress and pain they feel. 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.”
Orosa spoke to ABC7 about the incident:
