This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

FENTON, MO (KTVI) – A former Cardinals player says he was punched at a Fenton gas station after a man yelled racial slurs and told him to, “Go back to Ferguson.”   Outfielder Curt Ford tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he is disgusted.  He is thinking of moving away from the St. Louis area after the racially motivated attack.

The attack occurred at the Petro Mart in the 600 block of Gravois Bluffs in Fenton.  The suspect, James Street, 37, can be seen in the surveillance video, according to the Post-Dispatch.

Street and Ford tried to approach the same gas pump from different directions. Ford backed up to another pump.  Street then pulled up to a parking space in front of the convenience store. He got out of his car and started yelling racial slurs at Curt Ford, according to police.

Ford tried to avoid a confrontation with Street wile entering the store to pay for gas. But, he was punched in the face when he tried to exit the store.

James Street
James Street

St. Louis County Police arrested James Street, 37, after the incident.  He is being charged with one count of assault motivated by discrimination in the 3rd degree.

Curt Ford tells the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he is having trouble speaking because his face is swollen.  Ford made his Major League debut with the Cardinals in 1985. His last MLB game was in 1990.  He says he was trying to enjoy retirement.

Read more from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch