BOULDER, Colo. — A man visiting Rabbit Mountain Open Space rammed his car into a park ranger Friday morning after being told he'd receive a citation for not having his dog on a leash, the Boulder County Sherriff's Office (BCSO) said.
>> Video above: Bilingual ranger aims to make the outdoors welcome to all
When the park ranger spoke with Gregory Noriega, 24, about the citation, BCSO said he became "verbally uncooperative."
Noriega then asked the park ranger if he could sit in his car because he was having asthma-related issues. While Noriega was in the car, BCSO said, the park ranger went behind it to take down the license plate number.
That's when Noriega put the car in reverse and gunned the engine, striking the park ranger and injuring him, BCSO said. He then continued to drive away, according to the sheriff's office, forcing the park ranger to jump out of the way to avoid being run over.
BCSO said Noriega nearly caused a collision at Highway 66 and North 53rd Street, which is where deputies stopped him and took him into custody after he initially refused to cooperate with their commands.
The park ranger was taken to the hospital to be treated for minor injuries and has been released, according to the sheriff's office.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS
MORE WAYS TO GET 9NEWS
Subscribe to our daily 9NEWSLETTER for top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP
iTunes: http://on9news.tv/itunes
Google Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n
HOW TO ADD THE 9NEWS APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KUSA.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9news" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.