The man suspected of hitting a Dearborn man with his vehicle stood before a judge for the first time Monday. He faces multiple charges, including assault with intent to murder, which carries a life sentence if convicted.

The victim in this case told police late last week that he feared for his life. The suspect, 38-year-old Murtadha Jabbar Alizairij, was at the 19th District Court to be arraigned on charges on Monday afternoon.

"There's a potential life sentence here involving a deadly weapon, which was a vehicle, two tons of heaping metal," said Maria A. Mourad, an attorney with the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.

According to Dearborn police, the defendant allegedly struck the man identified by a former neighbor as Haidar Alfadawi just before 11 p.m. Saturday near the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Howe Street. Video provided by Westborn Physical Therapy shows Alfadawi crossing the street when a vehicle suddenly speeds toward him. (CBS News Detroit has chosen to freeze the video just before the moment of impact.)

"He intentionally accelerated to run this person over," Mourad said.

The vehicle involved was found several blocks away. 

Alfadawi remains on a ventilator in a medically induced coma at a local hospital. Last week he posted a video to TikTok expressing concern for his safety at the police department.

CBS News Detroit reached out to police to try to find out why the officer dismissed Alfadawi. The request for an interview was denied.

Social media posts from the police department and Mayor Abdullah Hammoud indicate the visit is under internal review.

"If he wanted to run, he would have run. He would not have called 911 and made the statement that he made," Abed Hammoud, defense attorney, said.  

His attorney argued that the suspect, a lifelong resident of Dearborn and a married man with a young daughter, is not a threat to the community.

Alfadawi worked for Alizairij's family business and was allegedly fired recently, Monday's courtroom proceedings revealed.

"There are many videos of the victim threatening my client, threatening his family, insulting everybody," Hammoud said.

Bond was set at $750,000 cash surety. If a bond is posted, the suspect will need to wear a GPS tether on house arrest and surrender all passports. 

His next court date is Sept. 3.