Three Utah men demolished an ancient rock formation in Utah’s Goblin Valley State Park this month. Glenn Taylor, who was leading a Boy Scott group, decided that a large boulder perched atop a thin strip of dirt was a safety hazard and needed to be pushed over, according to . Two of Taylor’s friends filmed and posted the event to YouTube, which included singing and high fives as the rock tumbled over. Police must now decide if the crime is worth being prosecuted.
Taylor’s friend and cameraman, David Hall, can be heard singing and calling a play-by-play during the video.
We have now modified Goblin Valley, a new Goblin Valley exists… That’s crazy that it was held up just by that little bit of dirt. Some little kid was about ready to walk down here and die and Glenn saved his life by getting the boulder out of the way. So it’s all about saving lives here at Goblin Valley. Saving lives. That’s what we’re all about.
The deputy director of Utah State Parks and Recreation explained he had never seen one of the goblin rock formations roll from its pedestal in his 22 years on the job, reports . The event has drawn an enormous amount of attention through social media and the YouTube video has well over four million views.
Taylor now faces additional scrutiny after it was made public that he filed a suit last month (before the incident) claiming he was suffering from “disability” and “impairment” from an auto accident four years ago, according to . “In the video I see a big strong guy who steps up to a 2,000 pound rock and dislodges it and I just think to myself, that guy doesn’t have a bad back” said the man being sued by Taylor.
Asked if he would push the rock over again, Taylor responded “Absolutely, absolutely.”