Etheridge apologizes for confrontation caught on video

Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-N.C.) on Monday apologized for behaving aggressively during a confrontation on the street with a young man who claimed to be a student.

"I deeply and profoundly regret my reaction and I apologize to all involved," he said in a statement released by his office. 

A video of the incident, in which Etheridge can be seen swatting at a camera and grabbing the young man by the coat collar, appeared online Monday morning. 

"Throughout my many years of service to the people of North Carolina," Etheridge said, "I have always tried to treat people from all viewpoints with respect. No matter how intrusive and partisan our politics can become, this does not justify a poor response. I have and I will always work to promote a civil public discourse."

The student's face is obscured in the video, and as of Monday afternoon, he had yet to be identified.