A Colorado man allegedly attacked a TV news reporter while asking whether he was a citizen and taunting him that this was what he could now expect in life in the US, with Donald Trump’s second presidency looming, criminal court documents state.
The man, Patrick Thomas Egan, was arrested on December 18th in Grand Junction on suspicion of bias-motivated crimes, second-degree assault and harassment.
Mr Egan is scheduled to appear in court on January 2nd to see whether formal charges have been filed.
According to police, Mr Egan (39), followed the car of KKCO/KJCT reporter Ja’Ronn Alex, who later told police he believed he was targeted because he is Pacific Islander.
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An arrest affidavit in the case said Mr Egan arrived by taxi, pulled up next to Mr Alex – who was on an assignment at the time – at a stop light and asked: “Are you even a US citizen? This is Trump’s America now! I’m a Marine and I took an oath to protect this country from people like you!”
The affidavit described Mr Egan as allegedly tackling Mr Alex and putting him in a headlock before Mr Egan “began to strangle him”, causing co-workers to run out and help.
According to the documents, witnesses said Mr Alex looked like he was struggling to breathe during the attack, which was caught on surveillance footage, the Associated Press reported.
While the alleged assault appears to be isolated, a hostile political environment towards member of the news media has seen Mr Trump labelling them “the enemy of the people”, a “threat to democracy”, “fake” and “crooked bastards”. He deployed such rhetoric during his first presidency from 2017 to 2021, and while he successfully campaigned for a return to the White House in the run up to November’s election.
The Freedom of the Press Foundation in November said it had recorded 75 assaults on journalists since January 1st this year – a 70 per cent increase over 2023.
A recent survey of journalists undertaking safety training provided by the International Women’s Media Foundation found that 36 per cent of respondents reported being threatened or experiencing physical violence – and 28 per cent reported legal threats or action against them.
Yet nearly a quarter of Americans surveyed, 23 per cent, did not regard political attacks on journalists or news organisations as a threat to press freedom. Among them, 38 per cent identified as Republicans compared to just 9 per cent as Democrats, the City University of London reported. – Guardian