REFORM THESE ACTIVITIES. LOCAL CONGRESSMAN MAXWELL FROST SAYS THE CURRENT TENSION ACROSS AMERICA ON IMMIGRATION MAY HAVE FUELED THE ATTACK ON HIM OVER THE WEEKEND. FROST, WHO IS AFRICAN AMERICAN AND CUBAN, SAYS HE WAS TARGETED VERBALLY AND THEN PHYSICALLY. WESH TWO NEWS POLITICAL REPORTER GREG FOX IS HERE. AND GREG, HOW IS THE CONGRESSMAN DOING TODAY? HE TELLS ME THAT HE’S FEELING FINE. HE DID NOT REQUIRE HOSPITAL TREATMENT AND HE’S ON HIS WAY BACK TO ORLANDO RIGHT NOW. THE MAN CHARGED WITH ASSAULT IS 28 YEAR OLD CHRISTIAN JOEL YOUNG, AND FROST BELIEVES HE SHOULD FACE PUNISHMENT UNDER THE FEDERAL HATE CRIMES LAW. FULL FIST PUNCHED ME IN THE FACE. KIND OF LIKE MY MOUTH AND NOSE AREA. KNOCKED MY GLASSES UP. SO IT WAS A IT WAS A FULL PUNCH IN THE FACE, BUT I DID NOT BRUISE OR BLEED OR ANYTHING. I MEAN, IT HURT, BUT IT WASN’T. I DIDN’T BRUISE. DEMOCRATIC ORLANDO CONGRESSMAN MAXWELL FROST TELLS ME HE’S RECOVERING WELL FROM A SHOCKING EPISODE, ONE THAT TURNED A VISIT TO THE SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL IN PARK CITY, UTAH, INTO A NIGHT FILLING OUT POLICE REPORTS AFTER HE WAS ASSAULTED AT ONE OF THE PARTIES. FROST, SHOWN HERE IN PRIOR REPORTS, SAYS A MAN WHO APPEARED TO BE DRUNK MADE REMARKS THAT HE AND A LATINO FRIEND SHOULD BE DEPORTED, AS WELL AS OTHER ETHNIC AND RACIAL INSULTS, FOR SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE STRIKING THE CONGRESSMAN. HE STARTED TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DEPORTING OUR KIND. HE PULLED US IN. I GRABBED BOTH OF US BY THE SHOULDER AND PULLED US IN, CONTINUED TO MAKE RACIST COMMENTS. I TOLD HIM, YOU KNOW, YOU GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE. AND THEN HE PUNCHED ME IN THE FACE. DO YOU EXPECT POLICE TO ASK THE PROSECUTOR TO TREAT THIS AS A HATE CRIME? I THINK THEY SHOULD. I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE LAST UPDATE I GOT, THE CAPITOL POLICE SERGEANT AND SERGEANT OF ARMS ARE INVOLVED. I CAN TELL YOU WITH 100% CERTAINTY THAT THIS WAS A RACIALLY MOTIVATED ASSAULT, WHICH WOULD MAKE IT A HATE CRIME. YOU KNOW, FROST SAYS SADLY, WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM IS A MINOR SYMPTOM OF THE RAGE THAT’S INFECTING AND DIVIDING THE COUNTRY WITH PEOPLE EITHER SOLIDLY BEHIND OR SOUNDLY OPPOSED TO THE ACTIONS OF IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS ENFORCEMENT. SO MANY PEOPLE WHO DO HARBOR DEEP BIGOTRY IN THEIR HEARTS FEEL VERY EMBOLDENED AND EMPOWERED TO BE OUT LOUD ABOUT IT. AND OBVIOUSLY, IN SOME CASES TO DO VIOLENCE ON OTHERS BASED ON THAT. A QUICK BACKGROUND CHECK OF CHRISTIAN YOUNG DOESN’T REVEAL MUCH OF ANYTHING, REALLY. BUT WITH CAPITOL POLICE NOW INVOLVED, AS THE CONGRESSMAN JUST SAID,
Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost says assault at Utah festival was ‘racially motivated’
Updated: 8:20 PM EST Jan 26, 2026
Congressman Maxwell Frost, who represents Orlando, was assaulted at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, in what he describes as a racially motivated attack.Frost, who is African American and Cuban, said he was verbally targeted before being physically assaulted. “Full fist, punched me in the face, kind of like my mouth and nose area, knocked off my glasses, so it was a full punch in the face, but I didn’t bruise or bleed or anything, I mean, it hurt, but it didn’t bruise,” Frost said.The incident occurred at a party during the festival, where a man, who appeared to be drunk, made remarks suggesting that Frost and a Latina friend should be “deported,” along with other ethnic and racial insults. “He started talking about, you know, deporting our kind. He pulled us in, like grabbing both of our shoulders, and continued to make racist comments. I told him you know you have got to get out of here, and he punched me in the face,” Frost said. The man charged with the assault is identified as 28-year-old Christian Joel Young. Frost believes the attack should be prosecuted under federal hate crimes law. “I think they should. The last I heard, the Capitol police and the sergeant at arms (of the U.S. House) are involved,” Frost said. He added, “I can tell you with 100% certainty that this was a racially-motivated assault, which would make it a hate crime.”Frost expressed concern that the incident reflects a broader issue of division and rage in the country, particularly surrounding immigration. “So many people who do harbor deep bigotry in their hearts are very emboldened and empowered to be out loud about it and obviously, in some cases, to do violence on others based on that,” he said.A background check on Christian Young did not reveal much, but with Capitol police now involved, the case may escalate into a larger investigation. Frost, who did not require hospital treatment, is currently on his way back to Orlando.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Congressman Maxwell Frost, who represents Orlando, was assaulted at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, in what he describes as a racially motivated attack.
Frost, who is African American and Cuban, said he was verbally targeted before being physically assaulted.
“Full fist, punched me in the face, kind of like my mouth and nose area, knocked off my glasses, so it was a full punch in the face, but I didn’t bruise or bleed or anything, I mean, it hurt, but it didn’t bruise,” Frost said.
The incident occurred at a party during the festival, where a man, who appeared to be drunk, made remarks suggesting that Frost and a Latina friend should be “deported,” along with other ethnic and racial insults.
“He started talking about, you know, deporting our kind. He pulled us in, like grabbing both of our shoulders, and continued to make racist comments. I told him you know you have got to get out of here, and he punched me in the face,” Frost said.
The man charged with the assault is identified as 28-year-old Christian Joel Young.
Frost believes the attack should be prosecuted under federal hate crimes law.
“I think they should. The last I heard, the Capitol police and the sergeant at arms (of the U.S. House) are involved,” Frost said.
He added, “I can tell you with 100% certainty that this was a racially-motivated assault, which would make it a hate crime.”
Frost expressed concern that the incident reflects a broader issue of division and rage in the country, particularly surrounding immigration.
“So many people who do harbor deep bigotry in their hearts are very emboldened and empowered to be out loud about it and obviously, in some cases, to do violence on others based on that,” he said.
A background check on Christian Young did not reveal much, but with Capitol police now involved, the case may escalate into a larger investigation.
Frost, who did not require hospital treatment, is currently on his way back to Orlando.