A Kentucky fire chief is under scrutiny after a shocking video showed him apparently refusing to assist a black family after a traffic accident and laughing while saying, “We ain't taking no n—gers here,” WDRB reports.
In the video, reportedly recorded on the body camera of a county sheriff's deputy and obtained by WDRB, Southeast Bullitt fire Chief Julius Hatfield is seen discussing the accident, which took place on Interstate 65 in September, the news site notes.
Hatfield appears to go to the aid of Loren Dicken, a white man, whose pickup truck was involved in the crash. "You got a jack, ain't you?" Hatfield asked. "If you show me where them things is at, I'll get my guys to start changing the tire for you."
"That's all right," Dicken replied.
"It will save you a bill," Hatfield said.
According to the report, firefighters even picked Dicken up from the hospital and took him back to the firehouse to pick up his car.
But when it came to helping the occupants of the other car involved in the incident, this time a black family, Hatfield reportedly refused to help.
"Well, I've got a family of four from Cincinnati I got to do something with," the Bullitt County deputy can be heard telling Hatfield in the video.
"We ain't taking no n—gers here," Hatfield responded.
Chege Mwangi told the news station that his wife and two children received very different treatment from the Southeast Bullitt Fire Department but didn't think anything about it initially because his family was not hurt and did not necessarily need the help.
According to WDRB, this isn't the only offensive behavior the chief has displayed.
When WDRB's Valerie Chinn questioned Hatfield at a town meeting on the topic of financial mismanagement of the fire department, he turned to the Asian-American journalist and reportedly asked, "Do you understand English, darling? Do you understand English?"
Hatfield reportedly tried to have her and her photographer kicked out of the public meeting, demanding that they turn off the camera and asking for police to be called. "I asked you once tonight if you understand English," he said. "I'm speaking English."
Read more at WDRB.