A video of an Alameda County firefighter directing racial slurs at a driver during a heated exchange has circulated on social media, prompting the firefighter’s temporary suspension.
After a car accident in Lodi, the off-duty firefighter walked up to the other driver’s window and accused the driver of not letting him pass on the highway. He went on to call the driver a “dumb ass Mexican” and “f—ing Filipino b—” among other inflammatory comments in a three-minute exchange that the driver recorded last week.
The driver, Vath Touch, called the fireman a racist and urged him to let the police handle the situation. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“I’m not a fucking racist, I’m a firefighter,” the man replied.
Alameda County Fire Chief William McDonald confirmed at a news conference Monday that the man in the video was an Alameda County firefighter who has been placed on administrative leave.
A spokesperson for the fire department said they will not release the identity of the firefighter at this time.
The investigation is ongoing and will determine whether the firefighter, who has been with the organization since 2004, will face additional consequences beyond administrative leave, McDonald said.
“Such behavior is not representative of who we are as a department or our values that we strive to embody every day,” he said. “I want to sincerely apologize on behalf of the firefighter and our department for his actions.”
The fire department is currently evaluating sensitivity training and guidance for personnel, McDonald added.
The video on TikTok has since been viewed more than 500,000 times.