Congressman says he was punched in face by man at Sundance

A Democratic congressman was slugged in the face by a drunken, screaming man at a ritzy film festival party in Utah. Florida Rep Maxwell Frost (pictured), 29, claimed that an intoxicated man spewed racist remarks before assaulting him at the Creative Artists Agency (CCA) Sundance Film Festival party at High West Saloon in Park City on Friday. '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,' Maxwell - who is the youngest member of the US Senate - said in an X statement.

'He was heard screaming racist remarks as he drunkenly ran off. The individual was arrested and I am okay,' Frost, who has Puerto Rican and Haitian heritage, continued. The suspect, 28-year-old Christian Joel Young, was hit with multiple felony charges for the alleged assault of Frost and another unidentified woman, Axios reported. Young is accused of wildly shouting at the congressman and woman, screaming, 'We are going to deport you and your kind', per court documents obtained by the outlet. Other festival goers claimed the 28-year-old yelled he was 'proud to be white' before the attack, Variety reported.

The party crasher then allegedly yelled a racist slur and punched Frost in the face, according to court documents. He also reportedly grabbed the woman and shoved her out of his way, slamming her against the bar, per the outlet. Police later determined that Young had snuck into the event and was not on the guest list. The 28-year-old faces a slew of charges including aggravated burglary, assault on an elected official, and simple assault, and was ordered held without bail. 

Sundance addressed the debacle in a statement to the outlet, condemning the hate crime that occurred at a 'non-Festival-affiliated event.' 'We strongly condemn last night’s assault and abhor any form of violence, harassment, and hate speech,' the statement read. '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.' Both Sundance and Frost commended venue security and Park City PD for assistance on this incident.

Sundance is the largest independent film festival in the United States, traditionally held each January in Park City, Utah, with additional screenings in Salt Lake City. The festival highlights new documentary and feature movies from filmmakers around the world. This year’s festival kicked off in Utah on January 22, marking its final run in Park City and the first held without founder Robert Redford, who died in September.