Business owner in Virginia under fire for racism after hitting an Asian woman’s car
July 31, 2023
A fireplace store owner in Great Falls, Virginia, is under fire for his racist behavior toward an Asian woman after bumping into her car.
What happened: The woman, who filmed the altercation, accused Aspen Green Gasworks owner Charles “Chuck” LaGoe of hitting her car while she was at a red light.
“Yesterday, while I was waiting at a red light, I had an unfortunate experience where my car was abruptly struck from behind, causing my head to hit the steering wheel,” the woman wrote in a statement uploaded by her friend to TikTok.
The woman said she stepped out of her vehicle to assess the situation. However, LaGoe allegedly accused her of causing traffic and instructed her to move to the side of the road. When the woman called the police and asked LaGoe for his information and insurance, he started yelling at her and said he had to leave to pick up his daughter.
“I realized I couldn’t reason with this individual so I promptly dialed 911 for assistance,” the victim said, adding that LaGoe’s behavior might have been due to alcohol consumption.
LaGoe can be heard in the video making derogatory and racist remarks, including calling her a “f*cking dumb gook” and telling her to speak English even though she already was.
“White man who is above the law”: Although it is currently unclear how the situation was handled by the police, social media users were immediately able to identify the man and his business.
X users criticized LaGoe and expressed anger over his racist behavior towards the Asian woman.
“This is not acceptable behavior from an old man. He clearly only respects white women,” one user said.
The interaction was also uploaded to YouTube, where viewers condemned the “male Karen’s” disrespectful and privileged behavior.
Negative reviews: Some internet users also targeted LaGoe’s fireplace store, with many people leaving negative reviews on Aspen Green Gasworks’ Yelp and Google review pages.
“This company is trash. ANYONE who continues to support people like the racist owner are just as horrible as he is,” one review read, according to Sportskeeda.
“Xenophobic owner and most likely employees as well. Saw his behavior on TikTok. Disgusting!!! He should be ashamed,” another review said.
Google and Yelp have since disabled reviews for the business.
LaGoe has yet to publicly comment on the incident.
About Aspen Green Gasworks: LaGoe’s business, which was created in 2007, has a showroom in Herndon and in Arlington County. Aspen Green Gasworks is known for its gas fireplaces, gas grills and stoves and tankless gas water heaters.
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