Park ranger shoved in lake as he explains coronavirus rules to crowd, Texas video shows

A park ranger explaining social distancing rules to a crowd of people gathering near a lake was shoved into the water, Texas video shows.

The video posted on Reddit appears to show the Austin, Texas park ranger explaining rules for preventing the spread of coronavirus to the group of people at Commons Ford Metropolitan Park along Lake Austin.

The ranger was instructing the group to stay 6 feet apart as a person pushes him into the water and he falls in before running away.

The video matches the description of an arrest made by cops on Thursday, KXAN reported.

Brandon J. Hicks, 25, was charged with attempted assault of a public servant, according to the Austin TV station.

According to court documents, the park ranger was standing on a dock speaking to people unlawfully drinking and smoking when he was shoved, the Austin American Statesman reported.

It could have “caused the ranger to strike his head on the dock as he was falling,” the affidavit obtained by the newspaper says.

Hicks remained in Travis County jail on Friday, records show.

This story was originally published May 1, 2020 at 3:08 PM with the headline "Park ranger shoved in lake as he explains coronavirus rules to crowd, Texas video shows."