Man who pushed park ranger into Lake Austin arrested and charged (Video)
You may have seen the now viral cell phone video of a clueless 25-year-old man pushing a park ranger into Austin Lake as that ranger was encouraging a crowd to engage in social distancing and to stand six feet apart from one another while visiting Commons Ford Park in Austin, Texas. While the ranger was standing next to the lake’s edge on April 30 talking to the crowd, Brandon Hicks was videotaped pushing the ranger into the lake; and Hicks also managed to fall into the water himself.
The footage shows a park ranger standing near the edge of the lake while advising crowds to maintain a six-foot buffer between each other — a measure seen as an effective way to blunt the spread of new coronavirus for which there is no vaccine.
We are happy to report that an arrest has been made in that incident. Brandon Hicks was arrested and charged with attempted assault on a public service worker for pushing that park ranger into the lake, a state jail felony, according to ABC News. Hicks was also charged with damage to city property.
The Austin Parks and Recreation Department said it was saddened by the incident and tweeted a health and safety reminder to those visiting their facilities.
ABC News quoted Kimberly McNeeley, Austin Parks and Recreation Department Director, as saying:
“Our rangers continue to engage residents on the proper use of park facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. We ask that the public treat Rangers with the same respect they wish to be shown to themselves. Public support is essential for Austin to meet the challenges of this pandemic.”
McNeeley went on to say that Austin’s park rangers are not police officers, “but are essential workers who’ve been on the front-line of the city’s response to COVID-19.” She said the rangers have been charged with educating visitors to the park.
CNN reported on Monday that an attorney for Hicks said that his client, “ … is embarrassed about his actions and has the utmost respect for law enforcement, particularly during these unprecedented times.”
Hicks has since bailed out of the Travis County Jail on a personal recognizance bond. Below, you can see the viral video of Hicks pushing the park ranger into Austin Lake.
Written by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
