Idiot of the Week; Texas Man Assaults Park Ranger who requested Social Distancing

A screen grab from the video provided to CNN by an eyewitness.

What is with people who scream to reopen the economy, assault police, security guards, medical workers and others and refuse to heed precautions against the deadly COVID19 virus? There's something mentally wrong with these
people. In Michigan on May 4, a Security Guard in a Dollar General store was shot to death for simply asking someone to wear a mask before shopping. In Texas, a 25 year old guy assaulted a Park Ranger and pushed him in a pond or lake, simply because the ranger asked people to spread out to prevent COVID19 transmissions.
Here's the story:


Park ranger was telling a crowd to social distance. Mid-speech, someone pushed him into a lake

By Paul P. Murphy, Artemis Moshtaghian and Kay Jones, CNN
Updated 0516 GMT (1316 HKT) May 5, 2020

(CNN)A man accused of shoving an Austin, Texas, park ranger into the water while the ranger was explaining to a crowd the need for social distancing is embarrassed by his actions, his lawyer said.

A video that gained attention after it was posted on social media includes the moment a young man pushes the ranger into a lake at Commons Ford Ranch Metro Park last Thursday afternoon.
Brandon Hicks, 25, faces a charge of attempted assault on a public servant, a state jail felony, said the Travis County Sheriff's Office.

Brandon Hicks. Credit: Travis County Police  Dept

According to an arrest affidavit, ranger Cassidy Stillwell was talking to a crowd of people, described as "unlawfully drinking and smoking," on a dock near Lake Austin. It's unclear from the affidavit whether Hicks was part of that group mentioned in the affidavit.

Amid the cross talk in the video, Stillwell is heard telling the crowd on the dock to "disperse yourselves" in the grassy area nearby because they were not maintaining physical distance of six feet. Some respond with "Will do" and "I got you, man."

The ranger's instructions are interrupted when the man pushes him into the shallow, murky water. The ranger holds on to the man's arm and pulls him in, the video shows. The man, clad in a swimsuit, scrambles out of the water and rushes away.

Attorney Mark Hull told CNN in a statement Monday he looks forward to telling Hicks' side of the story.

"He is embarrassed about his actions and has the utmost respect for law enforcement, particularly during these unprecedented times," Hull said.

An eyewitness who shot the video said that park visitors were closer to each other than they should have been.

"(The ranger) was just telling us to spread apart to keep our distance and honestly was being super reasonable and understanding," said the witness, who did not want to be named.
The officer who submitted the affidavit said the ranger could have struck 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."

Hull says his client is out on $7,500 bond and his next court date is June 19. He said it was too early in the case to determine how Hicks will plea. A person found guilty of a state jail felony faces a sentence of 180 days to two years.