‘127 Hours’ Hiker Aron Ralston Arrested On Assault Charges

The story of hiker Aron Ralston’s fight for survival in Utah’s Blue John Canyon took the world by storm in 2003 when the 27-year-old hiker had to cut off his own arm with a pocketknife and walk to civilization after being trapped between two rocks for five days. He would document the ordeal in an autobiography titled Between a Rock and a Hard Place , which became the inspiration for the 2010 Oscar-nominated film 127 Hours starring James Franco.

Now Ralston is making headlines again – but not in a good way.  The 38-year-old was arrested Saturday night in Denver, CO after getting in an argument with his girlfriend Vita Shannon.  According to the police report, Ralston claims his girlfriend punched him in the back of the head twice after he pushed her during an argument about their 8-month-old child and another woman.

Both Ralston and Shannon were arrested and charged with assault and “wrongs to minors.”   Ralston’s father told the Denver Post that, “this is just two people trying to work out a difficult relationship.”

The 8-month-old was reportedly not hurt in the altercation and Shannon’s mother is currently taking care of the child.  Ralston remains behind bars until his court appearance this afternoon.  Under Colorado law, a suspect in a domestic violence case cannot be bailed out of jail until they appear before a judge.