DENVER | A Grand Junction man is facing possible bias-motivated charges for allegedly attacking a television news reporter after demanding to know whether he was a citizen, saying “This is Trump’s America now,” according to court documents.
Patrick Thomas Egan, 39, was arrested Dec. 18 in Grand Junction after police say he followed KKCO/KJCT reporter Ja’Ronn Alex’s vehicle for around 40 miles from the Delta area. Alex told police that he believed he had been followed and attacked because he is Pacific Islander.
After arriving in Grand Junction, Egan, who was driving a taxi, pulled up next to Alex at a stoplight and, according to an arrest affidavit, said something to the effect of: “Are you even a U.S. citizen? This is Trump’s America now! I’m a Marine and I took an oath to protect this country from people like you!”
Alex, who had been out reporting, then drove back to his news station in Grand Junction. After he got out of his vehicle, Egan chased Alex as he ran toward the station’s door and demanded to see his identification, according to the document laying out police’s evidence in the case. Egan then tackled Alex, put him in a headlock and “began to strangle him,” the affidavit said. Coworkers who ran out to help and witnesses told police that Alex appeared to be losing his ability to breathe during the attack, which was partially captured on surveillance video, according to the document.
According to the station’s website, Alex is a native of Detroit. KKCO/KJCT reported that he was driving a news vehicle at the time.
Egan was arrested on suspicion of bias-motivated crimes, second degree assault and harassment. He is scheduled to appear in court Thursday to learn whether prosecutors have filed formal charges against him.
Egan’s lawyer, Ruth Swift, was out of the office Friday and did not return a telephone message seeking comment.
KKCO/KJCT vice president and general manager Stacey Stewart said the station could not comment beyond what it has reported on the attack.
What a deplorable person!
Despite what Mr. Egan said, this is not, nor ever has been one man’s country. The United States belongs to the American people. Mr. Trump is our president, but he answers to the American people, not the other way around. I thought Mr. Egan should have known this if he paid attention in school.
oh, but you are so very wrong on this Citizen Kane. Trump isn’t MY president. He was elected fraudently (I believe). He doesn’t ‘answer’ to the American people, only to his fellow plurocrats (should I define that). He’s an authoritarian and will ‘dictate’ HIS wishes – not the American people as a whole. Only the ones who agree with him to discriminate against the non white, non christian, non rich, not HETEROSEXUAL. We just saw it here and we’ll see it throughout the land. Law and Order? only Trump’s law….
The left-leaning media love it when the have the opportunity to blame acts of violence on Trump and his agenda. Funny thing – I don’t remember seeing any stories blaming the two assassination attempts on Trump’s life on Biden’s America.
The idiot himself admitted he was doing this because it was “Trump’s America”. This was simple reporting by a trained journalist, not a left-leaning media opportunity to blame Trumpians. You might want to try to explain (good luck with that) what the definition of “Biden’s America is. Nothing in the past four years from the Biden administration has keyed in on taking Trump’s life. Believe me, I don’t like Biden at all, but he doesn’t advocate for violence. Would you like him to?
That’s because they were both right-wing extremists and were wrapped up in their mania as this man was. Why is your immediate reaction to engage in whataboutism?
That requires a little thing called “evidence”.
you haven’t been paying attention
Trump blames Biden and Harris’ rhetoric toward him despite his own history of going after rivals
Yep, this is now Trump’s America. If you’re not white, you’re not American. We’ll be seeing more of this in the future.
I wonder if he’d like to be court-marshalled and incarcerated in Leavenworth — just like a U.S. Marine?
Absolute disgrace. Period.