According to police, a man in Colorado who claimed to be a Marine attacked a television news reporter while demanding to know if he was a US citizen — telling him, “This is Trump’s America now” — before attempting to strangle him.
“I’m a Marine, and I took an oath to protect this country from people like you!” Patrick Egan yelled during his alleged Dec. 18 attack on KKCO/KJCT reporter Ja’Ronn Alex in Grand Junction, according to his arrest affidavit, obtained by the Associated Press and local media outlets this week.
“Are you even a U.S. citizen?” Egan allegedly asked.
“This is Trump’s America now!”
Egan, 39, is charged with felony bias-motivated crimes and second-degree assault by strangulation, as well as misdemeanor harassment by following and ethnic intimidation, in connection with the attack. The Mesa County Sheriff’s Office listed him as eligible for release online on Saturday after he posted bond.
Egan was driving a taxi for a local company called Sunshine Rides when he allegedly tracked and followed Alex for about 40 miles to the joint NBC-ABC news station where he worked as a multimedia journalist for KKCO/KJCT.
According to a press release, police say Egan “tackled and choked” Alex before several of his coworkers intervened to restrain Egan and assist the reporter. Alex reportedly told police he believed he was assaulted because of his race, Pacific Islander.
“This type of behavior has no place in our society, and I strongly condemn it,” Sunshine Rides General Manager Kelly Millan told Grand Junction’s NBC affiliate KKCO.
“I deeply regret the harm and disruption this has caused the victim, his family and co-workers,” Millan told CNN. “Sunshine Rides has suspended Egan pending a full investigation, will assist law enforcement and will use this incident to re-emphasize our core values and expectations with our entire team.”
Alex told investigators he was out reporting before returning to the news station. He claimed that Egan began chasing him as soon as he exited his vehicle. According to the arrest affidavit, he demanded Alex’s identification and “began to strangle him” after he made a reference to Donald Trump. A portion of the attack was allegedly captured on surveillance video.
Alex’s KKCO bio describes him as a native of Detroit, Michigan, and a 2023 Clemson University graduate who has lived in “various locations across the Eastern and Southern regions of the United States.”
Egan is scheduled to appear in court on January 2 to file his charges.
