On October 27, Mike Anderson ordered his breakfast through DoorDash, and specifically added on the ticket that he wanted the driver to come to the door when making the delivery.

However, 30 minutes later, Anderson’s wife received a call from Haarun Galbayte, the DoorDash driver. Galbayte asked her to come to the driveway to pick up her order, and she refused, because the ticket specifically stated that the delivery was to be made at the door.

When Anderson went outside, he found that Galbayte had left the items on the driveway.

Anderson said, “I yelled, ‘Hey!’ real loud to get his attention, and he stopped his car right away.” According to him, this was the second time in a week that Galbayte had refused to deliver the food to the door despite the ticket specifically stating it.

He told WCCO, “I swore at the guy. I said … ‘It’s called DoorDash, OK? It’s not that complicated!’ And he immediately just spit in my face from point-blank range.”

In a press conference held by Jaylani Hussein, executive director of Minnesota’s Council on American-Islamic Relations, and Galbayte, the driver stated that Anderson punched him over the head thrice and then told him to “go back to your country.”

Anderson was charged with fifth-degree assault, but maintains that he did not assault Galbayte.

He stated that he never laid a hand on Galbayte and “I never said anything about referencing his ethnicity, his country of origin, his race, his religion.”

Anderson hired attorney Joe Tamburino to help him fight the charges. In a bid to prove his innocence, Anderson took a polygraph test which he passed, and maintains that this is proof he is innocent. He also stated that he has footage which recorded the entire incident, but he has yet to release it to the public.

No hate crime charges were brought against Anderson.

Galbayte, speaking to WCCO, said, “I told him, you know, when he said, ‘Go back to your home,’ and I said, ‘I came from Eden Prairie, I live there,’ and then he said, ‘Eden Prairie is not your home. Go back to where you came from.'” He maintained that he never spit on Anderson.

According to Gilbayte, his anger stemmed from the fact that Anderson used the same words as President Trump used when he spoke about Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar and the other three congresswomen of color.