The investment company, which employs a white woman who went viral after calling a black man in Central Park to the police on Monday, put her on administrative leave.
“We take these issues very seriously and do not tolerate racism of any kind,” read a statement from Franklin Templeton.
“While we are investigating the situation, the employee involved has been placed on administrative leave.”
The woman in the video has been identified in the reports as Amy Cooper. A screenshot of her LinkedIn account that was shared on Twitter identified her as Franklin Templeton’s director of insurance investment solutions.
Cooper then apologized for the incident in a telephone interview with NBC New York.
“I sincerely and humbly apologize to everyone, especially this man, his family,” he told the network. “It was unacceptable and I humbly apologize to everyone who has seen this video, to all those who have been offended … to all those who think of me with less light and understand why they are doing it.”
The man who could be heard on the video, Christian Cooper, said that he had asked Amy to put the dog on a leash, and when she did not, he offered the dog a gift.
“The only way to stop the dog from eating the treat is to put it on a leash,” he told NBC. “I guess at some point he decided he would play the race card.”
Amy told the network that she felt threatened because she did not know what the dog treats were made of.
Social media users have also accused Amy of animal cruelty, as she was seen in the video seizing and dragging the dog fighting for a neck harness.
Later Monday, Amy reportedly returned her foster dog to a local animal shelter.
“As of this evening, the owner voluntarily released the dog in question to our rescue while this matter is being processed,” said the abandoned Cocker Spaniel.
“The dog is now under our care and is safe and healthy,” said the group.
The shelter also did not publicly identify the woman or link her to the Central Park incident. A request for comment from the group received no immediate response.
Amy Cooper did not answer phone calls from The Post.