A coffee shop owner in Washington DC went on a racist tirade against a Spanish-speaking Uber Eats delivery driver, demanding he “learn English” and mocking his language.
Canna Coffee owner Greg Harris was caught in a viral video posted on TikTok On Monday, he scolded driver Gregorio Amundarain for allegedly making “money” in America and not knowing English while picking up an order.
“Learn English! Learn it!” Harris screams into Amundarain’s face and then into the camera of Amundarain’s phone as he begins recording the blatant verbal attack.
“You make money in America, learn English!”
Harris is then seen taking the driver’s second phone, apparently used for his delivery, and repeating the racially charged comments.
“I don’t speak English,” Amundarain replies as the irate coffee shop owner continues to shout.
The driver then starts speaking Spanish, at which point Harris angrily mocks the driver with gibberish and punches him in the face.
‘This isn’t your damn country! This isn’t your damn country! Learn English!” the owner shouted directly into the driver’s face.
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
Harris continues to shout and mock Amundarain before slamming a brown paper bag containing the food order the delivery man was picking up against his chest over and over.
Amundarain left the establishment but was followed by Harris, who was seen face-to-face again before the one-minute video ended.
The video, which has been viewed nearly 20 million times since it was posted, has sparked outrage against the DC coffee shop.
Amundarain, who moved from Venezuela to the US to give his family a better life, said Fox 5 Washington DC that the encounter between himself and the owner quickly escalated, and he began recording for his safety.
“There was no need for me to be treated so disrespectfully,” the Uber Eats driver told the outlet.
Amundarain said he filed a report with D.C. police about how he discriminated, according to Fox 5.
Law enforcement officials told the station they are investigating the incident as a potential hate crime and simple assault.
Uber said they have since banned Canna Coffee from its platform after on X Wednesday.
“We are disgusted by the behavior in this video. Hate has no place on our platform, and we have removed this company from our app and are working to monitor the well-being of this carrier,” the food delivery and ride-sharing company wrote.
Because Amundarain was verbally abused on camera, DC Health – which conducts inspections in the city for food establishments – said Canna Coffee was operating illegally when the driver went to pick up the order, according to WUSA9.
DC Health officials said they inspected Canna Coffee on September 11 and found the establishment had committed several violations.
Officials then immediately issued a summary suspension and closed the store on September 18 until “further notice.”
However, Canna Coffee remained open in violation of the order, officials told the outlet.
Officials did not disclose the violations, which led to Canna Coffee being suspended.
It was also revealed that the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP) has been investigating the company for months.
DLCP filed two violation notices against Canna Coffee on May 13 and Aug. 8, but would not share what prompted them to file the notices, department officials told WUSA9.
According to WUSA9, Harris and his attorney plan to hold a press conference on Monday.
The Post has contacted DC Health, DLCP and the Metropolitan Police Department for comment.
