A marine veteran has apologized after he verbally and nearly physically assaulted an elderly Laotian man on Monday morning in Sacramento, California.
The incident occurred between 16th Street and Broadway where the Laotian elderly man was making his way to the farmer’s market with his family, according to a Facebook post shared by the couple’s daughter, Van Khon.
After dropping off his wife and finding a parking spot, the man, identified as Alex Wolpert, suddenly walked up to the elderly man and began screaming and harassing him.
Wolpert shouted at the man and asked him why he was wearing a camouflage T-shirt. However, Khon’s father knows little English and was not able to fully understand what he was trying to tell him.
“My father knows little English and is in his mid 70’s didn’t answer him or didn’t understand what he was saying to him, that angered the man more and he grabbed my father by his collar pulling his key necklace he had on and fist closed threatening he’s going to kill him and how dare he wear that when his friends died in war yelling at him he should go back to his country he’s not welcomed here and accused him of being a Vietnamese communists,” the post reads.
Khon noted that her father served during the Vietnam War for Laos on the United States’ side.
Khon’s mother heard the commotion and immediately rushed to her husband across the street to help him. That is when Wolpert released the elderly man and a video of him was recorded in case things escalated.
“My friends died, and you’re going to wear this,” Wolpert, in a fit of rage, said in the video. “No, no, you can’t do that.”
Khon’s mother was terrified by the situation that she could only answer the enraged veteran with “OK, OK” in an attempt to calm him down.
“No, it’s not OK, OK,” Wolpert said.
“I’m sorry,” the mother replied.
“I’m a Marine. I fought for my country, and this mother f*ckers going to wear that sh*t? No. No. F*ck you, f*ck you.”
The Facebook clip, which has been viewed over 336,000 times and shared more than 4,100 times, has since gone viral.
One day after the traumatizing incident, Wolpert released an apology after FOX40 reached out to him:
“To whom it may concern,
On behalf of my recent actions I apologize, I was way out of line and I caused havoc and disrespect to not only myself but my family as well, since this incident my family and I have received multiple death threat’s and are having our public information posted via online.
to the gentlemen I accused and assaulted, Words cannot describe the amount of sincerity I have for this situation, you and your family did not deserve this at all. to simply apologize for my actions will never be enough as it was not excusable by any means at all, you deserve respect and appreciation and both of which i did not show you. I understand your forgiveness is not deserved by me and I have to accept what I have done. I can only hope this did not leave a scarring image on you or your family as it has me. I would like to apologize in person as words written cannot express the sincerity one can portray with verbal communication. again this incident has permanently scarred me and I can only hope it has not you, I do not deserve your forgiveness nor your sympathy as I only have myself to blame for this incident. Seeing my actions and my words have disgusted me. I only hope that you can forgive me and my actions. On your behalf I sincerely apologize and ask your forgiveness.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.”
The family has yet to comment on the matter.
Featured Image via Facebook / MrGeneralvang
