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Silicon Valley CEO apologises after he was filmed hurling abuse at Asian family in restaurant

A Silicon Valley CEO has apologised after he was kicked out of a California restaurant for hurling abuse at an Asian family.

Michael Lofthouse, the CEO and founder of tech company Solid8, was caught on camera verbally attacking Jordan Chan and her family while they were out celebrating her aunt's birthday.

The incident took place at Bernardus Lodge and Spa's Lucia restaurant in Carmel Valley on July 4 and saw Lofthouse called them a "f***ing Asian piece of s***".

The video was shared widely online, including by pop star Kelly Clarkson, and prompted widespread condemnation.

Lofthouse got up to leave, telling the family:
Lofthouse got up to leave, telling the family:

In the footage, which Ms Chan posted to Instagram on Sunday, Lofthouse appears to have started a tirade against his fellow diners, with the person filming him telling him to "say that again".

Lofthouse remains silent and they can be heard saying: "Oh, now you're shy. Say it one more time."

He responds by holding up his middle figure and adding: "That's what I'm saying now."

As he gets up to leave the restaurant, he says: "'Trump's going to f*** you! You f***ers need to leave."

A waitress then appears to tell him so leave, saying: "Get out of here, You are not allowed here. You do not talk to our guests like that."

A waitress kicked him out of the restaurant and said he was not allowed back (@jordanlizchan)
A waitress kicked him out of the restaurant and said he was not allowed back (@jordanlizchan)

But Lofthouse continues with his attack, saying: "You f***ing Asian piece of s**t".

He then turns to the waitress and saying: "Who are these f***ers?" and she replies: "They are valued guests".

He says: "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".

Ms Chan wrote on Instagram that he had begun harassing her family "unprovoked" soon after they sang happy birthday to her aunt. Aside from the comments caught on camera, she said he also told them to "go back to whatever f***ing Asian country you're from" and "you don't belong here".

She wrote: "This is the face of the man who relentlessly harassed my family and I completely UNPROVOKED, UNWARRANTED, and UNCONSCIONABLE.

"We were celebrating my tita’s birthday, literally just singing happy birthday to her and taking pictures, when this white supremacist starts yelling disgusting racist remarks at us."

Lofthouse, who appears to have deactivated his LinkedIn and social media accounts after the incident, later issued an apology for his "appalling" behaviour.

He told the Daily Mail: 'My behaviour 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 apologise 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."

The Bernardus Lodge also said they were sorry about the experience their guests endured at the restaurant.

"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."

The Standard has contacted both Solid8 an Bernardus Lodge for comment.