According to police reports, a journalist working for Grand Junction broadcasters KKCO and KJCT was targeted by a man who chased and physically assaulted them outside the news stations’ offices. The attack was apparently provoked by the assailant’s discriminatory views on the victim’s nationality.
The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Patrick Thomas Egan, was taken into custody on Wednesday on charges including second-degree assault and bias-motivated crimes, which are both classified as felonies, in addition to a misdemeanor charge of harassment.
Details from Egan’s arrest affidavit indicate that the incident began when he started following the victim in the vicinity of Delta earlier in the day before ultimately confronting them at a red light. The victim recounted to law enforcement officers that Egan verbally accosted them by questioning their citizenship status and making inflammatory remarks like, “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!”
The victim called the director of the news station, who told them to drive to the office, located about a mile away. When they arrived, Egan got out of his vehicle and continued to badger them, demanding to see their ID.
The victim tried to run inside the building, and Egan tackled and choked them until he was restrained by other KKCO/KJCT employees.
Read the full story on The Denver Post’s website.
