(New York) A senior Beyond Meat executive, a start-up of meat substitutes, was suspended from his post on Tuesday after being arrested for the assault of a motorist, whose nose he allegedly bitten.
Posted at 6:29 p.m.
“Doug Ramsey, Beyond Meat’s chief operating officer, has been suspended effective immediately,” the company said in a statement.
The 53-year-old took up his post last December after three decades at the meat group Tyson Foods.
On Saturday, after an American football game, he got carried away in a parking lot by another motorist who, while trying to pass in front of him, touched his front tire, according to a police report reported by local media. .
Getting out of his car, Mr Ramsey first hit the rear windshield of the other vehicle before physically confronting its driver. According to the victim and a witness, the assailant also “threatened to kill” the driver.
He is being prosecuted for terrorist threats and intentional assault and was released on Sunday morning after posting nearly $11,000 in bail, according to a document from local authorities.
This is an unwelcome episode for Beyond Meat, which is going through a difficult time.
Founded in 2009, the start-up once profited on the New York Stock Exchange from the growing popularity of herbal products. But its growth has slowed considerably since: the group recorded a slight drop in turnover in the first quarter and nearly 200 million dollars in losses.
Its stock has lost about 75% since the start of the year on Wall Street.