The Manhattan deli where a worker “stopped and frisked” Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker offered a half-hearted apology yesterday — blaming the incident on a “misguided employee” and claiming race wasn’t a factor.
A rep for Milano Market in Morningside Heights said the store “deeply regrets the wrongful actions” of the staffer, who stopped Whitaker Friday and gave him a humiliating public pat-down because he suspected him of shoplifting.
“While we cannot delve into the employee’s mindset, we do not believe that he was racially motivated in his actions” but “simply misguided,” the rep told TMZ.
It was the first time the market even acknowledged that the incident happened.
Whitaker, who won an Oscar for his role in the 2006 flick “The Last King of Scotland,” is in town filming “Black Nativity,” co-starring Jennifer Hudson and Angela Bassett.
He says he was stopped for no reason after dropping by the deli at 2892 Broadway on his way to work to buy some yogurt and not finding what he wanted.
Employees at Milano refused to comment on the matter yesterday.Whitaker’s rep couldn’t be reached for comment but previously said that the actor has asked “the store change their behavior and treat the public in a fair and just manner.”