A waitress in California has received more than US$40,000 in tips after she kicked a man out of a restaurant for a racist attack.
Gennica Cochran was working at the Lucia Restaurant in Carmel Valley on Tuesday when a man started berating an Asian-American family who were celebrating a birthday.
In a video of the incident, which was recorded by family member Jordan Chan, the man can be seen pulling the finger and yelling abuse.
"Donald Trump’s gonna f*** you. You f****** need to leave! You f****** Asian piece of s***," he said.
Cochran immediately jumps to the family's defence telling the man to leave.
"No, you do not talk to our guests like that. Get out of here," she can be heard saying.
The video was shared on social media where it quickly went viral racking up hundreds of thousands of views.
Cochran told ABC7 the attack was "unbelievable" and beyond comprehension.
"I did what anybody else should or would do in that situation. I felt very protective of them. You don't come in here and say those kinds of things to people," she told ABC7.
"I'm not a mother, but I felt almost maternal. Right, like this is my family and I will take care of them and I will do whatever I can to protect these people. To have someone hate you just because of the way that you look, that's beyond me. I don't understand it."
"It's not something that I will condone ever again, being silent."
The man was later identified as Michael Lofthouse, the CEO of a tech company called Solid8.
Lofthouse has since apologised, saying his behaviour was "appalling".
"This was clearly a moment where I lost control and made incredibly hurtful and divisive comments," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
"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."
A GoFundMe page created for Cochran has so far raised $45,000.
