- Christian Joel Young, 28, faces charges accusing him of assaulting Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Florida.
- Young allegedly made racial comments and physically attacked Frost at a Sundance Film Festival party.
- The assault charges come with hate crime penalty enhancements under Utah law.
PARK CITY — Criminal charges were filed Tuesday against a Centerville man accused of assaulting a Florida congressman during a private party at the Sundance Film Festival. Two of the charges come with hate crime penalty enhancements.
Christian Joel Young, 28, is charged in Summit County's 3rd District Court with aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony, and two counts of assault, a class A misdemeanor. Prosecutors are charging the two counts of assault under Utah's "victim targeting penalty enhancement" code — the state's hate crimes law — saying Young "intentionally selected the victims of those offenses because of his belief or perception regarding their personal attributes."
On Saturday, Young "attempted to enter an invitation-only event at a Park City building but was denied entry. He was later chased off by security guards after he jumped a security fence," according to charging documents.
However, prosecutors say Young returned to the High West Saloon, 703 Park Avenue, and "somehow gained access to the building" and approached Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Florida.
"Young made comments about (Young's) race, hugged (him) around (his) neck, and stated, 'We are going to deport you and your kind,'" charging documents allege. Prosecutors say Frost is a "Black Latino man."
After others separated Young from Frost, Young "yelled a racial slur and punched (Frost) in the face," the charges state. "Young then approached … an African American woman at the bar and started making strange conversation with her. She stopped talking to him when Young's statements became offensive and racially charged. Young became agitated, grabbed (her) shoulder with both his hands, and pushed her into the bar while yelling, 'You are the kind we're going to deport. You're being deported!"
When questioned by police, Young said he didn't remember what had happened and he did not know his name, though Young did say he was in Park City and at a bar, a police booking affidavit says. Young was also allegedly in possession of a Sundance Film Festival administrative access pass at the time of his arrest that not issued in his name.
Following the incident, Frost posted a statement on his X account saying he was OK and thanked the Park City Police Department for its help.
"Last night, I was assaulted by a man at Sundance Festival who told me that Trump was going to deport me before he punched me in the face. He was heard screaming racist remarks as he drunkenly ran off. The individual was arrested and I am okay.
"Thank you to the venue security and Park City PD for assistance on this incident."
