A TV news reporter was assaulted by a Colorado man who shouted during the attack, “This is Trump’s America now!” criminal court documents allege. Arrested on Dec. 18 in Grand Junction, Patrick Thomas Egan, 39, was held on suspicion of bias-motivated crimes, second-degree assault, and harassment. According to an arrest affidavit in the case, Egan allegedly followed the car of KKCO/KJCT reporter Ja’Ron Alex while he was on assignment, and told him at a stoplight: “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!” He then allegedly tackled Alex and put him in a headlock where he “began to strangle him” before his co-workers intervened and helped. Witnesses also said that it looked like Alex was having difficulty breathing during the attack, which the Associated Press reports was caught on surveillance footage. Alex later told police he believed he was targeted because he is a Pacific Islander. Egan is slated to appear in court on Jan. 2 to determine if formal charges will be filed.
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