In the US, 39-year-old Patrick Thomas Egan attacked KKCO/KJCT reporter Ja’Ronn Alex. The incident occurred when Egan followed the journalist's official car for 40 miles, and then chased him to his office in Grand Junction, Colorado.
At a traffic light, Egan approached Alex's car and began to aggressively ask: “Are you even a citizen of the United States?”, adding: “This is Trump's America now! I'm a Marine and I swore an oath to protect this country from people like you.
When Alex got out of his car outside the TV station building, Egan ran up to him, hit him in the head and began to choke him. Colleagues who rushed to help told police that the reporter could barely breathe. Part of the attack was recorded on surveillance cameras.
Ja’Ronn Alex, who is from Detroit, believes the attack was motivated by racial prejudice. At the time of the incident, he was driving a car with the TV station's logo.
Egan was arrested. He is charged with second-degree assault, harassment and hate crimes. The court must decide whether formal charges will be filed. The suspect's lawyer has not yet commented. The TV channel's representatives have also refrained from making statements, only confirming the attack.