Viral video on social media shows DC business owner berating Venezuelan delivery driver

WASHINGTON ( DC News Now ) — A video on TikTok showing a D.C. business owner berating a Venezuelan delivery driver has gone viral, amassing over two million likes.

Gregorio Amundarain has been working as a delivery driver in the area for about seven months.

Amundarain said he was going to Canna Coffee on Florida Ave in Northwest D.C. to get his first delivery of the day. When he went inside the business, he saw a dog inside that started barking at him.

Amundarain said he told the business owner he was picking up an order, to which the man responded to wait 5 minutes. He said that since he was scared the dog was going to bite him, he went outside to wait.

While waiting outside, Amundarain saw the man calling him to come inside to get the order. He said he signaled back to the man, asking him to come outside because he was still scared about the dog. The man didn’t go outside, so Amundarain had to go inside to get the order — that’s when he said the aggression started.

In the video, viewers can see the business owner of Canna Coffee telling the delivery driver to “learn English.”

He is also heard saying: “If you’re getting money in America, learn English.” as well as “This ain’t your f—- country, learn English.”

The business owner is then seen following the delivery driver outside the business.

“I was surprised, but I tried to act with as much calmness as possible, and I also got my phone out and recorded what was happening,” Amundarain said.

He said that after he stopped recording, the man took the food from his hands.

“I was very mad. Because in my mind, I was like, ‘if he wouldn’t have taken the food from me, I wouldn’t have called the police,’ so I automatically acted and called the police. And then the police got there,” Amundarain said.

He said that at that time, the police didn’t give him an immediate solution, so he decided to upload the video to social media.

“I didn’t expect the video would go viral. I didn’t have a clue that that would happen,” said Amundarain.

According to a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department, the incident is being investigated as a possible bias-related hate crime.

The business has also been under investigation by other agencies.

According to the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration, the business was cited for being an illegal cannabis operation in May. At the time, the business was called Mary Jay’s Exotic 420.

D.C.’s Department of Health is also investigating.

The Department of Health in a joint statement with the Department of Business Licensing and Consumer Protection was sent to DC News Now.

“As a part of a multi-agency enforcement effort, DC Government has been investigating Canna Coffee and has ordered that the business cease operations. The DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection and DC Department of Health both conducted inspections at Canna Coffee which predated the recent viral video. DLCP has issued two Notices of Infraction (NOIs) to Canna Coffee —one on May 13, 2024, and another on August 8, 2024. DC Health has additionally ordered the closure of the business as of September 11th, with a follow-up on September 18th.

We will continue to work with law enforcement and community partners to protect the health and safety of all DC residents.”

The business did appear to be operational on Thursday, with customers inside the store. DC News Now asked the owner if he had any comment on the video or if he is still doing business.

“Monday, catch the exclusive,” he said, directing DC News Now to an Instagram livestream.

Amundarain said he’s been focused on the positive comments since posting his video.

“I only see the good comments, the people that support me. It’s a beautiful community that is big. I see the positive comments that say, ‘Keep going’ and ‘You can do it,'” Amundarain said.

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