On the left, there’s Patrick Egan from the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, and on the right, President-elect Donald Trump is seen arriving to address a gathering of the House GOP conference on Wednesday, November 13, 2024, in Washington, as captured in an AP Photo by Alex Brandon.
A 40-year-old Marine veteran from Colorado is set to face trial, a year after his arrest for allegedly assaulting a TV reporter while questioning the victim’s citizenship and declaring, “This is Trump’s America now.”
Patrick Egan entered a formal plea of not guilty on Tuesday to charges that include second-degree assault, engaging in a bias-motivated crime, and harassment. These charges stem from an alleged attack on KKCO News reporter Ja’Ronn Alex, who is of Pacific Islander origin.
Ruth Swift, Egan’s public defender, informed the court that her client plans to proceed to trial early next year, as noted in a report by Colorado Public Radio News.
According to court records, Egan’s jury trial is scheduled for January 12, 2026, before Judge Jennilynn Lawrence in the 21st Judicial District and is expected to last five days.
As previously detailed by Law & Crime, on December 18, 2024, Egan was allegedly driving a taxi for a company called Sunshine Rides when he spotted Ja’Ronn Alex. He purportedly followed Alex for about 40 miles to the news station where Alex is employed as a multimedia journalist.
Once there, Egan “tackled and choked” Alex before several of his coworkers stepped in to restrain Egan and help the reporter, according to a press release. Alex reportedly told police he thought he was assaulted due to his race.
Alex told investigators he was out reporting before he went back to the news station. He said Egan started chasing him immediately after he exited his vehicle. He demanded to see Alex’s identification and allegedly started choking him in an attack that was at least partially caught on surveillance footage.
“[Alex] explained the driver, later identified as [Egan], had begun to shout at him saying something to the effect of, ‘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 probable cause affidavit reportedly said.
During a hearing in January, Lawrence emphasized the egregious nature of the charges against Egan.
“I was fully prepared to increase your bond today,” the judge told him during a proceedings at the Mesa County Justice Center, per Courthouse News. “Certainly, I think when you are in your right mind, you would know these are not the types of behaviors we would expect of Marines, and similarly they are not the types of behaviors we can have in the community.”
Several of Egan’s friends and family members attended the January hearing to show their support for him, with Swift reportedly telling the court that he had been struggling with mental health issues for more than a decade and assured the court that he would get proper treatment.
Egan is currently out on bond and scheduled to appear in court again for a motions hearing on Dec. 1.
