Fired WSU teaching assistant sentenced to jail for assaulting student over Trump hat
Aug 25, 2025, 7:00 AM | Updated: 8:20 am
Bodycam footage of Patrick Mahoney being arrested at WSU. (Photo courtesy of the Pullman Police Department)
(Photo courtesy of the Pullman Police Department)
The now-fired Washington State University (WSU) teaching assistant has been sentenced for assaulting another student during a political dispute.
The teaching assistant, Patrick Mahoney, was sentenced to one week in jail and one year of probation after he grabbed student Jay Sani’s Donald Trump hat and, with the help of WSU staff member Gerald Hoff, took the student to the ground.
Once Sani was on the ground, Mahoney struck the student in the jaw. Sani told officers that Mahoney slammed his head onto the ground.
“He essentially grabbed my head, crushed my head on the concrete, which reminded me of some of the posts; all these weapons people would make,” Sani, in an exclusive interview with “The Jason Rantz Show” on Seattle Red 770 AM, explained of Mahoney back in April. “Some of these posts, they would say, ‘Crush the head of the opposition.’ And actually, what they would really say was, ‘Crush the head of the fascist.’ And when he did that, it gave me that flashback of those propaganda posts I would see. And I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is serious.'”
Mahoney admitted to The Spokesman-Review that he made a poor, impulsive decision. The judge called Mahoney’s actions unprovoked and concerning.
Sani told police he casually knew Mahoney, saying he and Mahoney were part of opposing political groups on campus.
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Both Mahoney and Hoff were charged with misdemeanor fourth-degree assault.
“While WSU remains committed to the freedom of speech and expression for all members of our university community, we will not tolerate acts of violence or hate speech,” Phil Weiler, WSU vice president of marketing and communications, wrote to The Seattle Times.
Additionally, Mahoney is ordered to pay $30 to Sani and more than $560 in restitution to the Washington State Crime Victims Compensation Program. Part of Mahoney’s probation includes completing a mental health evaluation, including for anger management, and any recommended treatment.
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