Patrick Thomas Egan, 39, who attacked and attempted to strangle KKCO TV reporter Ja’Ronn Alex
KKCO TV News reporter Ja’Ronn Alex was followed and physically attacked December 18 by a Trump supporter who yelled “Are you even a U.S. citizen! This is Trump’s America now! I took an oath to protect this country from people like you!”
According to the Grand Junction Police Department’s arrest affidavit (pdf), Alex was driving on Highway 50 on his way back to Grand Junction after reporting on a story on the Grand Mesa when he noticed a Sunshine Rides taxi cab following him. The cab driver followed Alex back into town. When Alex stopped at the traffic light at Highway 6 & 50 and 25 Road, the other driver pulled up next to Alex’s car, rolled down his window and shouted at Alex, “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 called the TV station manager about the situation. The manager told Alex to get back to the station, a secure building, right away. When Alex arrived at the station, he parked, got out of the car and ran towards the front door. The cab driver, later identified as Patrick Thomas Egan, pulled into the lot immediately after, got out of his car and chased Alex, shouting to see his ID and demanding to know if Alex “was an American.” Egan repeated he “was a Marine” and “took an oath to defend the country.” Egan then tackled Alex to the ground, put him in a head lock and started strangling him. Station employees ran outside, pulled Egan’s arms from around Alex’s neck and held Egan on the ground until police arrived. Station employees said Egan was strangling Alex for an estimated 45-90 seconds. Alex incurred minor injuries in the attack, including scrapes and cuts.
The station had a security camera inside the lobby pointed outside toward the front of the building which recorded the attack, but a Christmas tree in the lobby blocked some of the altercation from being recorded. The station gave the footage to the police.
Alex told police he believed Egan had followed and attacked him because of his ethnicity. The affidavit notes that Alex is a native Hawaiian Pacific Islander.
Egan was charged with assault, harassment, following, ethnic intimidation and strangulation, a felony.
Previous indications of aggressive behavior
Past court records show Egan was arrested in August of 2018 on charges of robbery (pdf) and obstruction of police and first responders. He also had permanent protection order granted against him on September 5, 2024 by the Mesa County Court on the request of a former girlfriend who said Egan had texted her photos of himself with firearms including a pistol and an “automatic style weapon,” (pdf) and then showed up at her home uninvited in the middle of the night, and banged on her window.
Trump’s rhetoric has also stimulated threats and attacks against journalists, as well as immigrants.
Convicted felon/president-elect Trump has called journalists “the enemy of the people” and said that if he was elected, he would gain revenge against news media outlets and journalists who have angered him by throwing reporters in jail and revoking the broadcast licenses of media outlets he doesn’t like. Local freelance journalists in Grand Junction have reported being harassed and physically accosted while trying to cover events like Tina Peters’ trial, and right wing political events at local churches. One local journalist was doxxed by the extremist podcaster Joe Oltmann after covering a right wing event held in July of 2024 at the Orchard Mesa Baptist Church where Mike Lindell, a financial supporter of Tina Peters, made a surprise appearance.
Throughout his campaign for president, Trump escalated his racist and xenophobic rhetoric against immigrants and minority groups to unprecedented levels, telling his audiences that immigrants and minority groups are “poisoning the blood of our country” and are genetically predisposed to commit crimes. During the nationally-televised presidential debate in September 2024, Trump amplified outrageous lies circulating on social media that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were eating pet dogs and cats. Trump’s claims led to more than 33 bomb threats against schools in Springfield, including elementary schools, necessitating the evacuation of over 58,000 people. Trump promised his followers he would save the country from groups of people he called “animals,” “stone cold killers,” and the “enemy from within.”
Trump’s hate-filled rhetoric and subsequent election have stimulated aggressive, violent racist behavior among Americans that sadly is also now occurring right here in Grand Junction.
This is a very interesting article. I appreciate the detailed analysis and the context provided.
badhairharry and associated bros and babes-
Egan probably needs commissary $$$ put on his county books.
Grand Junction is becoming known for its racists and conspiracy theorists. I’ve stopped defending this place when I travel or talk to friends and family that don’t live here.
We are certainly making a name for ourselves across the country. Boebert, Peter’s, Five Guys bigot, TV news guy Trumper, and now Matt Soper. Yikes! (Has Soper figured out where he lives, yet?)
Western Colorado (aka Eastern Utah) has always been one of the main reasons Colorado is a Purple state, rather than a Blue one; and I’m sure this valley drags down the state’s average IQ by at least 10 points (badhatharry being responsible for 5 of them).
I get the movie rights to Taxi Driver 2! Will be hard to top Robert De Niro, Jodi Foster, and Cybil Shephard.
It was not clear whether the ex-Marine, the eager Pat Egan, was motivated by ethnic hatred or madness at the media. Perhaps both? I led this report on my radio newscast tonight with the sign-of-our-times mantra “This is Trump’s America now!” ….. and I suspect we are all waiting for a response from Himself: will the [T]rump just say “Why OF COURSE it is!!!” with all the caps and bangs.
What did the once and future POTUS say about Detroit last summer?
D51 does so much worse to its employees. Why is this a story?
Because many people, unlike you and your cousin/brother, find racial attacks to be reprehensible; I don’t think I can explain why, because it’s clear you don’t have the brains or the humanity to comprehend it.
When I first read about this story, I wondered how long it would take for Anne to jump on it. I guess Matt Gaetz was too delicious to pass up.
Also, no one is falling for the “how sad it is for Grand Junction”, Anne. You live for this sh*t.
As far as the “details”. The only thing anyone “witnessed” is the altercation in the parking lot. All the “racial slur” stuff is hearsay by the victim.
Also…how many times do you notice “someone following” you in a car?Never, unless there’s something else going on.
My guess is that these two know each other. The problem with all these kinds of stories is that you never hear the truth until months later…if ever.
You are mentally ill. Please do the world a favor and seek help.
Anne: This guy harasses me here. Can you boot him, please.
Thank you.
Is there no depth of deplorable character you won’t breathless defend? I mean really, you’ve built quite the reputation here endlessly sticking up for rapist, devout racists, pedophile, mentally ill, and now even stalkers. Nevermind of course, one can hardly imagine such a numbskull more desperate for attention that one who reads “news” and then runs off to senselessly troll a local blog about how prognosticated an entire narrative. Yikes…these are the kind of mental gymnastics so nauseating and unhinged that the rest of us would need a doctors prescription to Haldol and Dramamine to treat. But go on, Tad….pretend like you’re speaking to the people, instead of merely yourself.
One would think that Trump’s election would have emboldened you to the point of openly supporting this violent, racist, abusive scumbag (with a documented history of abusive behavior); but I see you’re still as gutless as you are hateful.
I suppose that should be a comfort to women and minorities in this valley, as long as they’re not alone.
My husband & I are sickened by your remarks. You and the attacker, Patrick Egan, bring shame to Grand Junction. We are currently visiting Hawaii and overheard people talking about this awful racist attack.
You’re one seriously sick f***. Please get the professional help you so deperately crave.
Does Sunshine Rides do background checks on drivers before they’re hired? Asking for a friend….
“The affidavit notes that Alex is a native Hawaiian Pacific Islander.” So, an American citizen, born in the US; not even an “immigrant”, chased down and brutally attacked because his skin is a shade darker than printer paper.
Trump fans are not only racists, they’re too stupid to be good at racism.
the story left out a slash. “native Hawaiian/ Pacific Islander” on the affidavit is a racial category. Other sources say Ja’Ronn Alex is a Detroit native – that’s where he was born.
Thanks for the correction.
What “sources”?
Found ’em, thanks!
This behavior is obviously worrisome. I am worried for Alex and wish him the best. I have been interviewed by him and found him to be courteous and professional. We are lucky to have him in our community and journalists are essential to keep us informed about events.
Thank you for reporting on this.
Half-assed explanation from my idiot son as to how this is somehow Joe or Kamala’s fault in 3..2..1..