After an argument in a Mandeville parking lot turned violent, the man who was arrested faced a St. Tammany Parish judge on Tuesday.
That judge set his bond at $1 million.
Video of the encounter was widely shared over social media.
Witnesses say the dispute began over a parking spot on Mon., Dec. 13.
It shows a man identified by police as Richard Suarez arguing with several women after he parked in the emergency lane outside of a busy shopping center on Highway 190. Another man intervened and exchanged words with Suarez. The two men disappear behind a vehicle and that’s when police say Suarez struck the man. The victim, who remains unidentified, was seen on the video falling onto the concrete.
Suarez fled the scene before Mandeville police tracked him down at a Veteran’s Affairs Hospital.
A spokesperson for the Mandeville Police Department said they did not know which branch of the military Suarez may have been in or whether he was active or retired. Mayor Clay Madden said he was proud of his citizens and police department following the incident.
