A Colorado man is facing possible bias-motivated charges for attacking a television news reporter after demanding to know whether he was a citizen, saying “This is Trump’s America now.” Patrick Thomas Egan, 39, was arrested in Grand Junction, Colo., after police say he followed KKCO/KJCT reporter Ja’Ronn Alex’s vehicle for 40 miles. 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 asked, “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, drove back to his news station. After he got out of his vehicle, Egan chased Alex as he ran toward the station’s door and demanded to see his identification. Egan then tackled Alex, put him in a headlock and “began to strangle him,” police said. Witnesses said Alex appeared to be losing his ability to breathe during the attack. Alex is a native of Detroit. KKCO/KJCT reported that he was driving a news vehicle. Egan was arrested on suspicion of bias-motivated crimes, second degree assault and harassment.
Comments