Towing company responds to ESPN reporter fracas
A pretty television personality opened up her mouth and showed a lot of ugliness in a video that went viral this week. ESPN reporter Britt McHenry was caught on camera giving the business to an impound clerk while retrieving her towed car. Now the people on the other end of her tirade are responding.
It was arguably the water cooler discussion story of the week, when video was released of D.C.-based ESPN reporter Britt McHenry berating a clerk at an Arlington, Va., towing impound lot.
It's not the nicest experience to get your car towed. But the personal nature of McHenry's comments raised eyebrows.
"I'm in the news sweetheart, and I will [expletive] sue this place," she said on the video. Watch the full exchange on Liveleak.com, although be aware there are profanities.
After a few seconds, her insults become more direct and personal.
"Do you feel good about your job," she asked. "So I could be a college dropout and do the same thing? Why because I have a brain and you don't?"
Then it gets downright nasty.
"Maybe if I was missing some teeth they would hire me, huh?"
She takes more digs at the cashier's dental work: "Oh, like yours, because they look so stunning. 'Cause I'm on television and you're in a [expletive] trailer, honey".
"Lose some weight, baby girl," said McHenry in a parting shot.
After the video went far and wide, McHenry posted an apology on her Twitter account, saying: "In an intense and stressful moment, I allowed my emotions to get the best of me and said some insulting and regrettable things."
ESPN suspended McHenry for a week after the whole thing exploded. But many pundits called for her to be fired outright.
On Friday, the towing company gave their spin on the encounter, issuing a statement.
To Whom It May Concern:
Parking enforcement is contentious by nature. At the same time, neither Gina, our lot clerk, nor our company, have any interest in seeing Britt McHenry suspended or terminated as a result of her comments.
Ms. McHenry is our neighbor, and, as she said, to paraphrase, made remarks that were out of line. She is human and errors in judgement can be made in the heat of the moment.
Gina is a single mother of 3 children who works a difficult job to provide her family. Gina holds no ill will toward Ms. McHenry.
As a small regulated business, we saw no benefit to releasing the video, except to highlight personal attacks employees in jobs like towing, public parking enforcement and others sometimes encounter. The video was not licensed or sold to anyone.
Advanced Towing Co.
USA Today notes that the Arlington, Va., impound lot has a poor record with the Better Business Bureau and with consumers weighing in on Yelp.