Have you seen this man? Columbia police seek suspect in ranger assault

The Columbia Police Department has released a surveillance photo of a man suspected of assaulting a female park ranger Wednesday.

The incident happened around 11 a.m. at 4122 River Drive, police said, after the ranger told a man that fishing was prohibited at that location.

The ranger told officers that the male became agitated and assaulted her by forcefully pushing her into rocks, causing a back injury.

A male witness was nearby and tried to help, but the suspect allegedly threw his glasses into the water before running away from the scene, police said. The ranger was taken to a local hospital for a non-life threatening injury, and was later released. No one else was injured during the incident, police said

Anyone with information about the assault or who recognizes the suspect in the picture is asked to contact Crimestoppers by calling 888-CRIME-SC, by texting to CRIMES (274637), and marking the beginning of the message with “TIPSC,” followed by the tip information; or by going to www.midlandscrimestoppers.com, and clicking on the red “Submit a tip” tab.

This story was originally published May 18, 2017 at 4:09 PM with the headline "Have you seen this man? Columbia police seek suspect in ranger assault."