Caught On Camera: Couple Spews Anti-Asian Slurs In Newport Beach Parking Lot

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA) - A video of a husband and wife spewing anti-Asian comments at people in a Newport Beach parking lot went viral, and now the Southern California couple, who were quickly identified, are facing backlash.

Lunar New Year is a time of celebration and new beginnings, but Eugene Moy's Lunar New Year celebrations were cut short when he saw the viral and now infamous video of the couple yelling thing, like, "Go back to China!" in the parking lot of Fashion Island in Newport.

The couple can also be seen making obscene gestures at the man taking the video. The original TikTok user has now made their account private, but the video went viral on Twitter.

The man making the hurtful remarks was quickly identified as Roger Miller, an employee of the City of Coronado. Also in the video is his wife, Sandra, a teacher at a private school in Riverside County.

"It's just unfortunate that children can be exposed to these kinds of attitudes," said Moy.

Moy is active in the Asian American community. As a founding member of Riverside's Save Our Chinatown Committee, he fought to stop a developer from building a medical office on a Riverside Chinatown archeological site.

"We felt that it was important not to destroy these reminders of history in Riverside," he said.

According to Moy, incidents like the viral video of the couple in Newport Beach are just another example of people diminishing or wanting to erase the Asian and Asian American experience.

"A person who uses that kind of language or has that kind of attitude is a dangerous person to have around," he said.

On Monday, the City of Coronado announced that Miller was placed on administrative leave. His wife, who works at Linfield Christian School in Temucal, has since been fired. Officials at the private school released a statement, saying in part, "The statements made by Ms. Miller do not reflect the beliefs of Linfield."

Moy applauded the quick actions of the couple's employers, but believes more needs to be done to stop the spread of hate.

"It's a reflection of the employers being a lot more enlightened and aware and how they are not going to tolerate this kind of thinking," Moy said.

The Millers have so far not responded to requests for comment.