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Calif. firefighter on leave after racist rant video goes viral

A TikTok video surfaced showing an Alameda County firefighter using racial slurs following an alleged vehicle accident

By Chase Hunter
Bay Area News Group

ALAMEDA COUNTY, Calif. — A video of an Alameda County Fire Department firefighter’s racist and expletive-filled rant has gone viral on TikTok following an alleged car accident involving a community member in San Joaquin County on Friday.

ACFD released a statement on Sunday confirming the incident, adding that the agency would be investigating the firefighter’s language, which “does not align with the values and standards we uphold as an organization.” ACFD did not confirm the firefighter’s identity in the statement.

In the video, the ACFD firefighter walks to the community member’s driver’s side window and berates them for allegedly poor driving and not allowing him to pass on the highway as their disagreement escalates.

The community member responded, “The cops are coming, it’s okay.”

“The cops are definitely coming, dumba** Mexican… Filipino,” the firefighter replies.

“Oh, okay you racist f***.” the community member says. “Oh, I’m a Mexican?”

“I don’t care what you are. What are you? What are you?” the ACFD firefighter says. “I’m not racist, I’m a f****** firefighter.”

The community member says, “Stop spitting on me. Let the cops handle it.”

“I’ll keep spitting on you. I’ll spit on you as much as I want,” the firefighter responds.

Alameda County Fire Chief William McDonald released a statement saying, “Our department is committed to gathering all the facts, and we are addressing this situation in a manner that reflects our dedication to integrity, professionalism, and community trust. We aim to ensure that we continue to serve our community with the highest level of respect, both on and off duty.”

At the time of publication, the TikTok had more than 2,600 views and nearly 500 comments.

The cause of the alleged car accident is unclear. Bay Area News Group has reached out to the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office but has not received further information at this time.

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