A park ranger in Texas was pushed into the water after advising crowds to maintain the social distancing regulation of being six feet part at Lake Austin due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ranger was standing on a dock at the Commons Ford Metropolitan Park speaking to a group of people who were illegally drinking and smoking, according to a police report obtained by NBC affiliate, KXAN. A video depicting the incident has since gone viral.
Identified as Cassidy Zukeran Stillwell, the ranger can be heard requesting that individuals “disperse.” Stillwell can be heard saying in the video: "You're not engaging in that six feet of distance with each other." Someone responds “I got you, man. I got you,” moments before Stillwell is pushed into what officials believe was waist-deep water. Both the man who pushed him and the ranger fell into the water; the man is seen running away afterward.
According to the police report, officers arrested the man who pushed the ranger. The suspect, identified as 25-year-old Brandon James Hicks, was arrested Thursday on suspicion of assault on a public servant and damaging city property. "Brandon's intentional and reckless action could have caused the Ranger to strike his head on the dock as he was falling, and render himself unconscious in at least 3 feet of water where he could have drowned to death," the report said.
Several witnesses confirmed that Hicks was the man who pushed the ranger, the Statesman reported. Hicks was charged with the state jail felony of attempted assault on a public servant and booked into the Travis County Jail on Friday. According to the news outlet, state jail felonies are punishable by up to two years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000.
Justin Berry, the officer who arrested Hicks, told the Statesman that many people came to the aid of the park ranger after the incident and apologized for Hicks’ behavior. Berry emphasized that he and his colleagues are only doing their job: “We just want to remind people to please be respectful and mindful that they’re working to make our parks a welcoming environment to everyone. [...] Everyone’s been going to the parks, so the parks have been completely overcrowded,” Berry said.
On Friday, Texas allowed for retail stores, restaurants, and malls to reopen with limited capacity. According to Gov. Greg Abbott’s stay-at-home order and plans to reopen, residents are not prohibited from visiting parks to conduct physical activities including jogging, hunting, and fishing if social distancing practices are followed. While Abbot did not address the closure of parks in his order or plan, the Austin Parks and Recreation Department limited access for city parks and closed some areas amid the pandemic, the Statesman reported.
According to a statement by the department, while they are not law enforcement officials, park rangers are essential workers who work long hours to ensure residents are safe and making proper use of park facilities. “Our rangers continue to engage residents on the proper use of park facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Kimberly McNeeley, director of the Austin Parks and Recreation Department, said. “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.”
Following the incident, the Commons Ford Metropolitan Park in Austin has been temporarily closed. How the ranger was treated was not only disrespectful but unwarranted and immature. Stillwell was only doing his job by looking out for the safety of individuals gathered closely together despite the risk of spreading COVID-19. In the video, it is clearly shown that Stillwell meant no harm to the crowd and was only advising them to follow park regulations, an action he should not have been hurt for.
