Last Thursday (May 13), Rocky Mountain National Park staff responded to afternoon cellphone calls from visitors regarding a man who was reportedly running down the Gem Lake Trail, toward the Lumpy Ridge Trailhead parking area, “yelling that he was being chased by someone with a rifle".

The Denver Post says that responding rangers also received a report about a woman being knocked down on the Gem Lake Trail by a man running down the trial.

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About 400 yards from the trailhead, rangers who responded to the scene found a man sitting on the trail who appeared to be injured. A news release regarding the incident noted that the man "appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance". Officials quickly determined the man was the same man who was reported running down the trail.

He was detained, became combative with rangers, and was then taken via ambulance to Estes Park Health Medical Center. The woman who was knocked down on the trail in the midst of the incident was also taken to Estes Park Health and treated for injuries.

“The hospitalized male was determined to be under the influence of narcotics,” a news release regarding the incident said. “No weapons were found in the area and there were no additional reports of a person carrying a rifle.”

About 30 other people on the trail were contacted by rangers investigating the incident. No one heard gunshots and no one saw an armed person in the area. The case remains under investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will bring charges, if any are filed in the case.

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