ISSAQUAH, Wash. — A Sammamish man apologized after his racist rant against a Lyft driver was caught on video and went viral.
The man emailed KING 5 on Friday after the story aired Thursday night showing video taken in Issaquah by the Lyft driver. The footage garnered national attention after it was posted and shared on social media.
In his email, the man told KING 5, "I should have never said the things I said nor acted like a complete idiot. He didn't deserve that. Nobody does. I had too much to drink and lost control of my tongue and I said horrible things that I truly regret."
In the video, the man repeatedly yells at the driver, shouting racist terms at him. The woman he's with -- who is also recording -- tells him to stop. The driver can be heard in the video telling the passengers to wear their masks. Towards the end of the video, the man threatens to urinate in the driver's car.
Lyft permanently banned the man from using their service, noting racism would not be tolerated, and offered support to the driver.
The man's employer posted on Facebook saying he had been fired. In addition, KING 5 learned Friday that the woman he was with also lost her job.
Her employer announced on social media they let her go after a "careful review." The company has not responded to KING 5's request for comment.
No police report has been filed at this time, according to Issaquah police.
Issaquah Mayor Mary Lou Pauly also reacted to the video Thursday.
In a tweet she said, "Let me make it clear: Racism has no place in our community. We must all respect each other (and #MaskUp, Issaquah)."
