The Silicon Valley tech CEO caught in a racist rant against an Asian family on Saturday was charged with domestic assault and vandalism in 2016, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Michael Lofthouse, 37, was filmed gesturing at Jordan Chan and her family in a Carmel Valley restaurant and saying ‘Trump is gonna f**k you’, ‘you f***ers need to leave’ and ‘you f***ing Asian piece of s**t’ before a server kicked him out.
Lofthouse, the British-born CEO of Silicon Valley IT startup Solid8, doubled down on the racist abuse in social media messages after the incident, writing ‘Leave our planet. Asian f**k. Come near me or my people and u r f***ing dead. Do not start. U f***ing piece of s**t.’
On Tuesday he wrote a groveling apology in a statement to DailyMail.com, saying ‘my behavior in the video is appalling’ and adding that he wanted to ‘deeply apologize’ to the Chan family.
But court records show the CEO has a history of trouble after facing charges in 2016 for domestic battery, vandalism and damaging a telephone or power line.
Michael Lofthouse, the British entrepreneur and founder of tech company Solid8, shouted racist abuse at an Asian family out to dinner on Saturday. DailyMail.com can reveal that Lofthouse was charged with domestic assault and vandalism in 2016
The Silicon Valley entrepreneur 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’. He is pictured flipping the bird at the family (above)
Jordan Chan (back left) posted the footage on Instagram. The family were celebrating the birthday of Jordan’s aunt Mari Orosa (back right with Mari’s husband Raymond front right)
Court records from July, 2016, obtained by DailyMail.com, show Lofthouse was found guilty of the vandalism charge and sentenced to two days in prison, three years probation and 80 hours of community service. The two other charges were dismissed.
A former female friend of the CEO – who fell out with Lofthouse – told DailyMail.com that the criminal record and the racist video showed him up as a ‘f***ing a**hole’.
‘You can see the details that are outlined in the public record,’ the former friend said. ‘He’s a f***ing atrocious person and I don’t want anything to do with him.
‘Obviously you can see the type of person he is and I want nothing to do with it.
‘I put this and him away five years ago,’ the former friend added, asking not to be named. ‘I’m not going to relive this because he’s a f***ing a**hole.’
During the incident on Saturday Lofthouse racially attacked Jordan Chan and her family when they were out celebrating a birthday at Bernardus Lodge and Spa’s Lucia restaurant in Carmel Valley.
Shocking footage shows Lofthouse shouting racist abuse at the diners from the table opposite.
Chan wrote on Instagram that the ‘white supremacist’ businessman had begun harassing her family soon after they sang happy birthday to her aunt.
Lofthouse was found guilty of the vandalism charge and sentenced to two days in prison, three years probation and 80 hours of community service
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’.
During his tirade a waitress is heard telling Lofthouse ‘to leave now’.
‘Get out of here,’ she shouts. ‘You are not allowed here. You do not talk to our guests like that.’
The video of the unsavory encounter was posted on social media Sunday and went viral after it was shared by pop star Kelly Clarkson.
Lofthouse later apologized, telling DailyMail.com: ‘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.’
Lofthouse calls the family a ‘f***ing Asian piece of s**t’ before an outraged restaurant worker steps in and tells him to ‘get out’
Jordan Chan (left) posted her thanks to those who have supported the family since the incident. She was celebrating her aunt Mari Orosa’s birthday (right with husband Raymond)
The Bernardus Lodge (pictured) said they were sorry about the experience their guests had at the restaurant and they were ‘proud’ of how their staff handled it
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.’
Lofthouse appears to have disabled his LinkedIn and Twitter accounts following the incident.