Colorado TV reporter tackled, choked outside station in apparent bias attack

Ja’Ronn Alex, a news reporter for KKCO/KJCT, was tackled and choked outside the Grand Junction, Colorado, TV station on Dec. 18, 2024, after being followed while driving a news vehicle and challenged over his nationality, according to police records and news reports.

A Colorado man, Patrick Egan, was arrested at the scene and charged with bias-motivated crimes and second-degree assault by strangulation — both felonies — and harassment by following and ethnic intimidation, a misdemeanor.

Alex told police that he believed Egan had followed and attacked him because of his ethnicity as a Pacific Islander.

The police affidavit said that Alex was driving back to the station from an assignment when Egan began following him in Delta, about 40 miles away. KKCO said in multiple reports that Alex was driving in a news vehicle, and Grand Junction’s Daily Sentinel newspaper reported that the vehicle had the TV station’s logos, citing KKCO/KJCT.

According to the affidavit, Alex said that Egan, who was driving a taxi, pulled up next to his car at a stoplight in Grand Junction and shouted “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!’”

Alex then called the station’s general manager, Stacey Stewart, who told him to drive straight to the secure station building. Egan continued to follow Alex to the station, where both men parked in front of the building and got out of their cars. Egan chased Alex as he began to run toward the front door of the station, demanding to see his identification and asking him if he was an American, the affidavit said.

Egan then tackled Alex to the ground, put him in a headlock and began to strangle him. At that point, several station employees ran outside, pulled Egan away from Alex and held him down until police arrived. The attack was partially captured on surveillance cameras, the affidavit said.

Witnesses told police that Egan choked Alex for 45 to 90 seconds, and that his face turned red and he appeared to have difficulty breathing.

Alex, who sustained minor injuries in the attack, declined to comment. Stewart said she could not comment on the attack beyond the stations’ news reports.

At Egan’s initial court appearance on Dec. 23, Alex said of Egan: “He knows where I work, he knows exactly who I work for, and he still decided to charge at me and put me in a headlock.”

Egan appeared in court on Jan. 2, where KKCO reported that the judge kept a protection order in place. Egan posted $20,000 bail later that day.

His lawyer, Ruth Swift, did not return a voicemail requesting comment.