Two say FBI employee drove her car into them

Two Voice of America camera operators say an FBI employee in her personal vehicle struck them and carried one of the men a short distance on her hood after she became agitated the men were blocking traffic on a busy downtown D.C. street.

Thomas Bagnall and William Greenback filed a lawsuit in D.C. Superior Court on Monday accusing Joy Ellen Mullinax of hitting them in front of the National Press Club on 14th Street in Northwest with her 2003 Hyundai Accent.

Mr. Bagnall and Mr. Greenback say in court papers that the incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. on March 23 as the men unloaded equipment curbside from their parked Ford Escape.

The complaint says Ms. Mullinax, 38, of Woodbridge, stopped her car behind the men to let out a passenger before becoming “agitated” and driving close to the SUV’s bumper. It says she began honking her horn.

Mr. Bagnall, 56, of Rockville, signaled for her to go around the SUV, at which point court records say Ms. Mullinax accelerated into him.

Mr. Greenback, 67, of Riva, Md., got out of the driver’s seat of the Escape and tried to stop Ms. Mullinax from leaving.

“Defendant Mullinax then accelerated her vehicle, pinning Greenback” between her car and the car in front of her, the court records say, adding that Mr. Greenback ended up on the hood of Ms. Mullinax’s car.

Ms. Mullinax then collided with another vehicle as she attempted to pull away with Mr. Greenback still on the hood and pleading with her to stop.

Ms. Mullinax eventually stopped her car after traveling up 14th Street and turning on F Street.

A Metropolitan Police officer arrived at the scene, and court papers say Ms. Mullinax called “her employer.”

Several FBI agents responded and spoke with the police officer on the scene, the papers say. Neither Mr. Bagnall nor Mr. Greenback was seriously injured, although Mr. Bagnall suffered multiple scrapes and a knee injury.

Mr. Greenback was shaken when he retold the story to The Washington Times on Monday.

“The whole time I’m telling her to stop … and the next thing I know she takes off and my legs come out from underneath me, just like in the movies. She goes up 14th Street with me hanging on,” he said.

Reached by phone Monday, Ms. Mullinax declined to comment on the incident or the lawsuit.

The men are suing her for $1 million apiece.

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