An assault on a park ranger Friday evening quickly spiraled into a vehicle chase involving multiple law enforcement agencies and finally ended in a slew of charges, including motor vehicle theft and resisting arrest.
A Boyd Lake State Park ranger was attacked around 9:40 p.m. when he approached a white Dodge pickup truck with potentially stolen plates at a campground inside the park, according to a news release from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office.
Joshua Dean Owings, a 30-year old who was inside the truck with a female passenger, became belligerent and refused to follow the ranger’s instructions. Owings punched the ranger in the face and head, retrieved a large metal object from his truck and approached the ranger again, authorities say. At that point, the ranger pointed his firearm at Owings and called for help.
Officials from the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office and the Loveland Police Department were dispatched, but Owings fled the scene in his truck. Loveland Police officers spotted him and began chasing him northbound on County Road 11C. When the pursuit entered Fort Collins, officials with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office took up the chase but failed to capture the elusive suspect. They called off the pursuit because driving conditions became dangerous.
At that time, Owings was southbound on College Avenue. As he continued, he drove his truck into a set of stop sticks, which sent him into a screeching halt and deflated two of the truck’s tires, near College Avenue and Harmony Road.
Before officers could respond, a concerned citizen , who thought Owings had been in a crash, stopped and offered to help. Officers arrived just after Owings approached the window and attempted to pull the concerned citizen out of the car. They took Owings into custody after a brief struggle. Officers also detained the female passenger who was in the truck. She was later released with no charges.
After further investigation, officers discovered the truck Owings was driving had been stolen in Longmont, and its license plates were stolen in Utah. Owings also had outstanding warrants for his arrests.
Officials transported him to the Larimer County Jail. He is accused of 2nd degree assault on a peace officer, felony menacing, aggravated motor vehicle theft, vehicular eluding, resisting arrest, driving under restraint and Adams County warrants.
The park ranger Owings allegedly assaulted sustained minor injuries to his head. He was treated at the scene and released.
Officials are asking the concerned citizen who stopped to assist Owings to call the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office at 970-416-1985.
Katy Canada: 303-954-1043, kcanada@denverpost.com or @KatySusanna
