ASHLAND, KY(TIP): Monday, August 6, was a day Taj Sardar, the owner of a Shell gas station in Ashland, will never forget after an off-duty Portsmouth ambulance employee went on a racist rant on his Facebook page — even accusing Sardar as a terrorist.

Sardar says it all began Monday around lunch when the man came in to eat at his restaurant. He says the man ate, then left without a word being said.

When outside, the man then took a photo of his restaurant and took to Facebook to not only voice his displeasure with the food, but also the people inside.

Portions of the post read “I reluctantly entered to order Monday’s meatloaf special and was greeted by a tribe from India.” The post continues, “I’m ashamed that I probably just funded Al Qaeda.”

While WSAZ was at the gas station covering the story, Sardar left a statement with police because he says when he reads those comments he fears for his family’s safety.

The post has sparked outrage for many across the Tri-State, even catching the attention of the man’s employer at the Portsmouth Emergency Ambulance Services. That agency told WSAZ early Wednesday afternoon that the man has not been suspended following an internal investigation.

They later released this statement after choosing to not participate in an on-camera interview:

“We wish to apologize to anyone who was offended by those posts. We do not agree with, or condone, them and are in the process of handling them accordingly.”

WSAZ has the full statement in total at the bottom of this story. WSAZ has not been updated on the current investigation.

Sardar says his and his family came to America legally in 2006 and moved from upstate New York to Ashland in 2010 to open their store. He says although this is a black eye to the problems of racism, he knows that the good in the area overwhelm the bad.

The name of the ambulance driver involved has not been released at this time.

FULL STATEMENT

“At Portsmouth Emergency Ambulance Services, we take pride in the service we provide to our patients, but also in the way that we treat them. As an organization, we have an obligation treat everyone in our community with dignity and respect, regardless of their background or ethnicity, and we expect our employees to do so as well.

“We recently became aware that a member of our staff created several posts on social media that fall far short of that standard. On behalf of Portsmouth Emergency Ambulance Services, and all 650 members our team, we wish to apologize to anyone who was offended by those posts. We do not agree with, or condone, them and are in the process of handling them accordingly.”

(Source: WSAZ News Channel)