[griojw id=”rHOhTvgL” playerid=””]
A high profile CEO has been identified as the passenger caught on video calling a Black Uber driver a “f**king n***er” after not being allowed to sit in the front seat of the vehicle.
In the footage obtained by ABC 15, Hans Berglund – CEO of AgroPlasma, an organic fertilizer company based in Tempe, Arizona – is seen approaching the vehicle driven by Randy Clarke and opening the front passenger door.
READ MORE: ‘I’m a Black male’: Hispanic cop invokes ‘one-drop rule’ after being accused of racism
“Mind sitting in the back,” the Arizona State University student is heard asking Berglund, who then replies: “No, I don’t like to sit there.”
“I don’t like it when people sit in the front,” explains Clarke, who stopped allowing passengers to sit in the front seat after he was assaulted by a customer.
This is when Berglund snaps in angrily and asks, “Are you f**king serious with me?”
When Clarke asks the irate passenger if he doesn’t mind canceling and refunding him, they eventually agree to a refund. However, Berglund then hops in the back seat anyway and announces, “I’m here, sitting in the back.”
READ MORE: Uber driver graduates college thanks to passenger paying off her student debt
‘Sir, please leave my vehicle,’ Clarke responds. And that’s when the incident takes on a racial undertone.
“Is it because I’m white?” Berglund shouts, adding, “And you’re a f**kin n***er? You are a f**king idiot.”
The 25-year old says the way the incident escalated so quickly left him in “shock” and he immediately filed a complaint with Uber, which has temporarily suspended Berglund’s account pending an investigation.
READ MORE: Black Texas Christian University student claims racist abuse in lawsuit
“Discrimination has no place on the Uber app or anywhere. What’s been described is a clear violation of our Community Guidelines and we launched an investigation as soon as we learned of it,” Uber said in a statement to ABC.
In response to being caught on camera, the businessman has since issued an apology, stating, “I deeply regret and apologize for the hurtful and derogatory language I used during the altercation with Mr. Clarke. I firmly believe that there is no excuse for the use of racial slurs under any circumstance, so I will not offer any. It is my sincere hope that Mr. Clarke hears and accepts my apology and believes me when I say it is honest and heartfelt.”
Hans Berglund, the CEO of a Tempe company, was caught on camera throwing a fit and calling Randy Clarke, an Uber driver and ASU student, the n-word after Clarke asked him to please sit in the back seat. https://t.co/02CdTV2o7O
— Meg O'Connor (@megoconnor13) February 5, 2020
On Wednesday, it was announced that Berglund was no longer working with Agroplasma according to a statement released by attorney Matt Brill, ABC15 reported. Jeffrey Ziehmer will replace him as interim CEO of the company.
“In light of the events of this past Friday, Agroplasma CEO Hans Berglund has been relieved of his duties while the company performs a full internal investigation.
The incident is not at all reflective of Agroplasma’s values and ethics. Our relationships with our employees, customers and the community are the cornerstones of our success, and we are doing everything in our power to rebuild their trust and repair the harm that has resulted from this incident.”