Man Rescued From Clark Fork River Claims He Was Chased There by ‘Men with Swords’
Very early this morning, a Missoula Police officer ended up in the Clark Fork River after screams were reported.
"About 3:20 a.m., officers were called to an area of the river adjacent to the 1600 block of River Road, where a complainant had reported seeing a man in the river, screaming," reports Missoula Police Public Information Officer Travis Welsh. "He was soon spotted and an officer coaxed him to the south shore. The officer did wade out a short distance to help him out of the water."
The man told attendants a surprising story, namely, that he was chased into the river by a group of swordsmen.
"Officers carried him to EMS and he was transported to St. Pats, where he apparently said that 'he ran into the water because 13 to 15 white males carring swords were chasing him and that the men also went into the water with their swords,' Welsh said. "[The man] denied that he was suicidal or that he suffers from mental illness."
It is unclear if the man was hallucinating or intoxicated at the time of the incident, but no swords or other people were found at the scene. The man was taken to the hospital over concerns that he may have been suffering from hypothermia.