Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost Assaulted at Sundance Film Festival Party
NEED TO KNOW
- Florida Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost was allegedly “punched” and racially harassed at a Sundance party in Park City, Utah, on Friday, Jan. 23
- In an Instagram post, Frost claimed the individual responsible for the assault drunkenly ran off after the incident
- A suspect, identified as Christian Young, has been arrested in connection with the attack
Florida Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost was allegedly assaulted while attending a party during the Sundance Film Festival.
On Friday, Jan. 23, Frost, 29, attended the talent agency CAA’s Sundance Film Festival Celebration at Park City’s High West Saloon in Utah, Variety and CNN reported. He claimed in an Instagram post that he was racially harassed and physically assaulted during the event.
“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,” Frost wrote on Instagram on Jan. 24. “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,” Frost concluded.
The Park City Police Department (PCP) has confirmed that a suspect, whom they’ve identified as Christian Young, assaulted Frost and another woman at the private party, per CNN. Young “unlawfully” entered the event and carried out the alleged attack after he was initially turned away, according to Variety.
Representative Maxwell Alejandro Frost/Instagram
Frost included a screenshot of the Variety report about the incident in his Instagram post.
In the report, a source at CAA alleged to the outlet that the racially charged incident took place in the restroom of the High West Saloon, as Young told people that he was proud to be “white.” He then allegedly punched Frost as he left the bathroom.
Young has been arrested and charged with aggravated burglary and simple assault, per CNN.
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SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty
The Sundance Film Festival said in a statement after the alleged attack, per Variety, “We strongly condemn last night’s assault and abhor any form of violence, harassment, and hate speech. While the incident occurred at a non-Festival-affiliated event, such behavior is intolerable and against our values of upholding a welcoming and inspiring environment for all our attendees.”
“The safety and security of our festival attendees is always our chief concern, and our thoughts are with Congressman Frost and his continued well-being. We encourage anyone with additional information on this matter to contact the PCP,” the statement concluded.
PEOPLE has reached out to the PCP and Frost’s office for comment.
