By BEN LUNDIN

Staff Reporter

LAPLACE – A LaPlace man, who allegedly broke two of his wife’s ribs in a violent tirade Saturday afternoon, was arrested by police when he came to check on her at the hospital one hour later, the St. John Sheriff’s Office reports.

Ricky Morgan, 43, of 624 Magnolia reportedly attacked Gwendolyn Morgan, 49, by slamming her head on a bathtub and on the bathroom floor Friday night, and severely injured her the next day by punching her in the face and ribs at approximately 1 p.m.

Her sister said Gwendolyn &#8220tried to stop him from hitting her and he kept on punching her in the side” until Gwendolyn’s 7-year-old niece finally persuaded him to yield.

Gwendolyn was taken to River Parishes Hospital by her sister at the fight’s end, and reportedly needed to be provided with an oxygen mask to breathe.

At 2:20 p.m., Ricky Morgan showed up at the hospital to check on his wife, where he was arrested by St. John police and booked with domestic abuse battery and second degree battery.