A top executive at vegan food giant Beyond Meat rebuffed the company’s meat-free ethos over the weekend, when he was arrested over accusations he violently bit another man’s nose.
Douglas Ramsey, Beyond Meat’s COO, was arrested on Saturday after allegedly biting a man’s nose in a fight that occurred after a football game in Fayetteville, Ark.
Ramsey now faces charges for “terroristic threatening” and third-degree battery, official documents show.
He was released on Sunday after an $11,085 bond was paid.
Local news outlet KNWA reported that Ramsey had become embroiled in a violent altercation after accusing the victim of bumping the front tire of his SUV with his car, said to be a Subaru, as both vehicles inched out of a parking garage into a line of traffic exiting Fayetteville’s Razorback Stadium.
The arresting officer said in a preliminary police report that Ramsey punched through the back window of the Subaru before punching the other motorist and biting his nose with such force that he ripped into the flesh, NBC News reported
Beyond Meat did not respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
Potential fallout
Ramsey joined the plant-based food behemoth in late 2021, and if the company decides to cut ties with him over Saturday night’s incident he could end up suffering heavy financial consequences.
According to an SEC filing from December, Ramsey will be forced to repay a pro-rated portion of his $450,000 sign-on bonus “if for any reason his employment terminates within one year of his start date.”
He is also due to receive a cash bonus of $275,000 to mark the first anniversary of his start date, which he would lose out on if his employment was terminated before December.
Meanwhile, Ramsey has the potential to double his $475,000 base salary with an annual performance-based bonus, which is pro-rated based on his start date at Beyond Meat.
Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.
