The chief operating officer of Beyond Meat, who formerly was president of Tyson Foods’ poultry business, was arrested on suspicion of a road rage incident that occurred when he was leaving a college football game.
Douglas Ramsey was taken into custody on September 17 on suspicion of terroristic threatening and third-degree battery, but he was released late the following morning after posting a bond of $11,085, according to documents from the Washington County (Arkansas) Sheriff’s Department.
Ramsey, according to a CBS report, apparently became angry after another man tried to edge his vehicle ahead of Ramsey’s in a parking garage outside of the University of Arkansas stadium in Fayetteville. The other man’s car apparently made contact with the wheel of Ramsey’s vehicle.
Authorities investigating the incident interviewed the two men and a witness, and it was determined that Ramsey had evidently got out of his vehicle and punched through the back windshield of the other person’s car. The driver of that car then got out of his vehicle and Ramsey apparently started punching the other man, and bit his nose.
The victim and the witness told an investigating officer that Ramsey threatened to kill the other man.
Ramsey is the chief operating officer of Beyond Meat, a position he has held since December 2021. At the time of his hiring, Beyond Meat founder and CEO Ethan Brown described Ramsey as someone who had a “proven track record of impressive operational excellence.”
Following the spread of the news of Ramsey's arrest, the price of Beyond Meat sank to an all-time intraday low, sinking by as much as 4.7% in afternoon trading to a low of $16.26, MarketWatch reported.
Prior to joining Beyond Meat, Ramsey had a lengthy career with Tyson Foods, having worked his way up to being president of Tyson’s poultry operations. He was selected for that position in April 2017. Ramsey had previously served as a senior vice president in the poultry business unit, managing a portion of the business which included servicing key foodservice national accounts, retail fully cooked Tyson branded products and the school lunch program.
A graduate of Southern Arkansas University, Ramsey joined Tyson in 1992.
Ramsey is one of several former Tyson Foods executives now affiliated with Beyond Meat, according to information on the company’s investor relations website. Bernie Adcock is the chief supply chain officer of Beyond Meat, having previously held the same position with Tyson. Sally Grimes, former group president of Tyson’s Prepared Foods unit, is a member of the Beyond Meat board. She also serves as the CEO of Clif Bar.
