Mistrial Declared in Case Involving Racially Motivated Attack on Colorado Journalist

On December 18, 2024, a news reporter was followed in a station vehicle from Delta to Grand Junction and, after receiving racially-motivated threats from the man who was following him in a taxi, was attacked by the man outside of the news station’s headquarters.

The initial trial, which wrapped in January of 2026, was declared a mistrial, and the reporter, Ja’Ronn Alex, is no longer with the news station.

Keep scrolling to learn more about the incident and the former reporter.

Grand Junction Reporter Followed + Attacked

While on the job in Delta, Ja’Ronn Alex was followed by Patrick Egan, a former member of the United States Marine Corps, in a taxi and received racially-motivated threats until he reached the news station at which he worked.

Alex was then physically choked by Egan outside of the news station’s headquarters until multiple coworkers wrestled his attacker off of him and held him until police arrived to arrest the man.

Who is the Former Grand Junction Reporter?

The former reporter, Ja’Ronn Alex, is a man of Pacific Islander descent who graduated from Clemson University in South Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English after graduating from high school in Detroit, Michigan.

Alex moved to Colorado because of his love of the state’s natural beauty and enjoys spending time around the Colorado River.

Read More: Grand Junction, Colorado Police Altercation Goes Viral

After the trial was declared a mistrial after it was reported that the judge had concerns over the the state of the alleged attacker and after a witness failed to show up for it, it’s unclear as to what is going to happen next, but you can check out the latest story from Western Slope Now here, and learn more about the incident from Alex’s perspective here.