ST. PAUL (WCCO) — The owner of Cossetta’s restaurant in St. Paul was punched in the face by a man who was trying to park in the nearby lot.

According to police, the incident happened on Friday, Jan. 4 after the driver tried to park in the lot on the 200 block of West Seventh Street just before 11 a.m.

Dave Cossetta, 56, came out to tell the man that he needed a tag or a pass to park in the lot, police said. The man refused to move, and a verbal fight started.

That’s when the driver, 21-year-old Erik James Segermark, sucker punched him in the face. Police said Segermark hit Cossetta hard enough that he wound up on the ground, but wasn’t seriously injured. A scuffle ensued.

A Minnesota State Trooper was passing by when the fight broke out, and subdued Segermark until police arrived. Segermark was arrested for fifth-degree assault.

Cossetta’s, long a downtown St. Paul institution, recently unveiled a large renovation, which included a relocated market and deli and also a new fancier restaurant on the upper level called Louie’s.

Photo Gallery: Cossetta’s New Digs