January 25, 2026
Sundance Condemns Racially Motivated Assault On Rep. Maxwell Frost At Private Park City Event
Festival officials denounce violence after the Florida congressman said he was punched during a racially charged incident outside official Sundance programming.
Sundance Film Festival officials issued a statement condemning violence after Rep. Maxwell Frost said he was assaulted during a private, non-festival event in Park City, Utah, over the weekend. The incident occurred late night on Jan. 23 during a party held at High West Saloon amid the annual film festival.
As reported by the New York Times, Frost, a Democrat from Florida, publicly identified himself as the victim of what he described as a racially motivated attack, saying a man made racist remarks before punching him in the face. Park City police confirmed that an arrest was made in connection with the incident.
“We strongly condemn last night’s assault and abhor any form of violence, harassment, and hate speech,” Sundance officials said in a statement released Jan 24. “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.”
Festival organizers emphasized that attendee safety remains a priority. “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,” the statement continued, urging anyone with information to contact local authorities.
According to the Park City Police Department, officers responded to reports of an assault shortly after midnight at High West Saloon, a distillery and bar where a private party was underway. Danielle Snelson, a community outreach lieutenant with the department, identified the suspect as Christian Young.
Young allegedly entered the event unlawfully after being denied access because he did not have an invitation, police said. “Mr. Young assaulted Florida Congressman Maxwell Frost and a female who was attending the private event,” Snelson said in an email. Authorities did not immediately disclose a motive for the attack.
Young was taken into custody and booked into the Summit County Jail on charges of aggravated burglary and two counts of simple assault. Witnesses reported that the suspect made statements expressing pride in being white before striking a person of color, later confirmed to be Frost.
Frost described the encounter in a post on X, writing, “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 added that the individual was “heard screaming racist remarks as he drunkenly ran off,” noting that he was not seriously injured and thanking venue security and police for their response.
According to his campaign website, Frost, elected in 2022 at age 25, became the first member of Generation Z to serve in Congress. He represents Florida’s 10th District and comes from a family with Cuban, Puerto Rican, Lebanese, and Haitian roots. Frost’s family immigrated from Cuba to Florida in the early 1960s as part of a wave of Cuban refugees who were flown to the United States.
RELATED CONTENT: Rep. Maxwell Frost Slams Trump’s DOGE: ‘It’s A Joke’