A Silicon Valley CEO was kicked out of a California restaurant on July 4 for hurling racist abuse at an Asian family and yelling ‘Trump is going to f*** you’.
Michael Lofthouse, the British CEO and founder of tech company Solid8, was caught on camera racially attacking Jordan Chan and her family when they were out celebrating a birthday at Bernardus Lodge and Spa’s Lucia restaurant in Carmel Valley on Saturday.
Shocking footage shows Lofthouse shouting racist abuse at the diners from the table opposite.
He calls the family a ‘f***ing Asian piece of s**t’ before an outraged restaurant worker steps in and tells him to ‘get out’.
The video has been posted on social media.
The footage begins after Lofthouse has already apparently started on his unprovoked, racist tirade, with the person filming him telling him to ‘say that again’.
‘Oh, now you’re shy,’ the person behind the camera is heard saying.
‘Say it one more time.’
The man responds by flipping them the bird and saying ‘that’s what I’m saying now’.
‘Trump’s going to f*** you!’ he then yells, as he gets up to leave the restaurant.
‘You f***ers need to leave.’
A waitress is then heard telling him ‘to leave now’.
‘Get out of here,’ she shouts. ‘You are not allowed here. You do not talk to our guests like that.’
Lofthouse, who immigrated to the U.S. in 2010, continues with his vile attack on the family.
‘You f***ing Asian piece of s**t,’ he shouts at the group, before turning to the waitress and saying: ‘Who are these f***ers?’
‘They are valued guests,’ the waitress responds.
Lofthouse replies: ‘Are they? They are valued guests in America?’
The waitress continues to tell him to ‘get out’ and says: ‘You are not allowed here ever again.’
WATCH: Michael Lofthouse Hurls Racist Abuse:
Chan wrote on Instagram that the ‘white supremacist’ businessman had begun harassing her family soon after they sang happy birthday to her aunt.
Aside from the racist comments caught on camera, she said he also told them to ‘go back to whatever fucking Asian country you’re from’ and that ‘you don’t belong here’.
She added on the post that he ‘had a LOT more to say after I stopped recording’.
Lofthouse later issued a grovelling apology: ‘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.’
Raymond Orosa, Mari Orosa’s husband, rejected Lofthouse’s apology.
Orosa said, “He’s just saving face. I think he really meant what he said and what he did. I don’t believe his words because his actions speak louder than the words he’s saying.”
Orosa also said that he has lived in the United States for 26 years and that they had never experienced racism like the abuse they suffered that night.
Shortly after posting the original video, Chan posted a screenshot of a text conversation a man named Ahmed Omer said he had with Lofthouse.
Omer wrote, “You are a trash human being and you deserve every bad thing that happens to you.”
Lofthouse responded, saying, “Great food for u – Leave our planet. You Asian f—. Come near me or my people u r f—— dead. Do not start. U f—— piece of shot.”
Orosa cited these words from Lofthouse as part of his reasoning for not accepting his apology.
The Bernardus Lodge said they were sorry about the experience their guests endured at the restaurant but they were ‘proud’ of how their staff handled it.
‘This is an extremely unfortunate situation, however, we are proud of our staff at Lucia in keeping with Bernardus Lodge’s core values,’ said Sean Damery, the lodge’s vice president and general manager, in a statement to KION.
‘This incident was handled swiftly and the diner was escorted off property without further escalation.
‘We provide guests with a safe environment for lodging and dining, and extend our sincere apologies to the guests enjoying a birthday celebration on a holiday weekend.’
In July 2016, Lofthouse was found guilty of vandalism and sentenced to two days in prison, three years probation and 80 hours of community service.
As a result of the case, Lofthouse also had a restraining order placed upon him.
Lofthouse had also been facing charges of domestic battery and the destruction of telephone lines.
Those charges were dismissed.
Lofthouse appears to have disabled his LinkedIn and Twitter accounts following the incident.