A California waitress said she stopped a man's racist tirade against an Asian family because she didn't 'have time for this'

• A California waitress has spoken about about a trending video, in which she was seen defending a family from a man yelling racist remarks.
• The waitress, Gennica Cochran, told ABC7 News she simply did "what anybody else should or would do in that situation."
• The man in the video has been identified as Michael Lofthouse, the CEO of an IT firm called Solid8, and he has apologized for his behavior in the video.
• Cochran told ABC7 she didn't believe him, and that his statement was "the standard issued apology that you get from racists."

The waitress who has been praised for kicking out a customer for his racist rant against an Asian family said she intervened in the situation because she didn't "have time for this."

A video of the confrontation, which has circulated widely throughout social media, showed a white man sitting at a table yelling racist comments at a family dining in the restaurant.

In the video, filmed over Fourth of July weekend, a waitress could be seen shouting at the man and telling him to leave.

"You need to leave right now. Get out — you are not allowed here. Get out right now," she said. "You do not talk to our guests like that — they are valued guests. You are not allowed here ever again."

The waitress, Gennica Cochran, told ABC7 News that she simply did "what anybody else should or would do in that situation," adding that she felt "very protective" and "almost maternal" when it came to the guests.

"You don't come in here and say those kinds of things to people. Especially people feel so raw coming out of quarantine. [For] most of these people, this is the first time that they've been out to dinner, and then you have someone attacking them. It was just, 'No, no, I don't have time for this.'"

The family featured in the video have thanked Cochran for her role in handling the situation and urged others to speak up if they witness racist attacks.

Jordan Chan, the family member who filmed the video, said in an Instagram caption that she and her relatives had simply been celebrating a birthday when the man unleashed his tirade.

She blamed President Donald Trump for giving "racists a platform," saying he "amplifies voices of hate."

"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 and to promote aggression towards POC, foreigners, and immigrants," she wrote.

The man in the video has since been identified by the restaurant as Michael Lofthouse, the CEO of an IT firm called solid8. He has since apologized for his outburst, according to ABC7.

"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," he said in a statement to the news station. "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."

Cochran told ABC7 she didn't believe "a word" of Lofthouse's statement and suggested he was simply sorry for being "called out" for his behavior.

"I think it's the standard issued apology that you get from racists," she said.

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