According to an arrest affidavit, the 28-year-old man was making “weird conversations and comments” in reference to Rep. Maxwell Alexander Frost’s race and that of his female friend. The man then put his arms around their necks and said “we are going to deport you and your kind.”
When the two pulled away, the man yelled a racial slur, punched Frost in the face and ran away, according to the jail report.
A Democrat, Frost represents Florida’s 10th Congressional District. His web page describes him as being of Afro-Latino descent. Frost posted about the incident on X early Sunday.
“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,” he wrote. “The individual was arrested and I am okay.”
A message left with Frost’s office in Washington seeking comment on the alleged assault was not immediately returned Sunday.
In a statement, festival organizers condemned the assault and “any form of hate speech.” They said the party was not affiliated with the festival and that “such behavior is intolerable and against our values.”
Frost’s friend was also pushed into the bar as the man fled, the police affidavit states.
An unidentified patron of the bar held the alleged assailant until High West staff were notified and Park City police arrived, the jail document states.
Police said the man was uncooperative during questioning and told officers he didn’t remember his own name. He later said his answers were “intentionally evasive and not due to impairment.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how the man gained entry to the invitation-only private party. The affidavit indicates he was turned away at the door for presenting a Sundance Film Festival administrative badge that was not in his name. Later he was seen trying to jump a fence to get in, but was caught. Security staff told police they suspect he must have jumped the fence again.
Records show the man was booked into the Summit County Jail just after midnight. He is being held on suspicion of felony attempting/assaulting an elected official, as well as misdemeanor simple assault, for the alleged attack on Frost’s companion. If he is convicted on the charges, each is eligible for a hate crime enhancement at sentencing because they were racially motivated, police wrote in the affidavit.
He’s also being held on suspicion of felony aggravated burglary for entering High West illegally and for causing an injury in the commission of a crime, according to the affidavit.
No criminal charges had been filed as of Sunday. However, court records show that in 2025 the man pleaded guilty to violating a protective order in connection with a domestic violence case in Salt Lake County and is on probation.
KPCW does not name individuals accused of crimes unless they have been formally charged.