Grab some popcorn everyone.
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Posted on 02/04/2010 5:06:04 PM PST by machogirl
The Daily Caller
Struck Down: Feds Refuse to Explain How Agent Injured Daily Caller Writer By Tucker Carlson and Jon Ward - The Daily Caller 02/04/10 at 5:49 pm
The State Department has refused to answer basic questions about an accident that took place in Washington on Wednesday night, in which a U.S. Diplomatic Security Service vehicle struck Daily Caller employee Sean Medlock as he was crossing the street.
An agent in the vehicle, Mike McGuinn, did not identify himself to Medlock at the scene, or apologize for running him down. Indeed, Washington, D.C., police drove to a local emergency room to serve Medlock with a jaywalking citation as he lay prostrate in a hospital bed, while a man who identified himself as “special agent” stood by watching and taking notes.
Reached on his cell phone the following day by the Daily Caller, McGuinn refused to answer questions about the incident.
“I’m a federal agent and I’m not allowed to talk to the media,” McGuinn said, citing “liability.” McGuinn initially declined even to reveal which agency he works for. “You can refer to the [DC] police department report,” he said before hanging up abruptly. (According the police department, no report will be publicly available for at least three days.)
According to Medlock, who writes under the name Jim Treacher, he was struck at about 7:15 p.m. on Wednesday, while crossing M Street in downtown Washington. Medlock says he was walking within the bounds of the crosswalk, toward a blinking white signal, when a government SUV suddenly turned left and plowed into him, knocking him to the ground.
Bystanders tended to Medlock, collected his crushed glasses and called an ambulance. McGuinn, meanwhile, called The Daily Caller’s offices from the scene to tell Medlock’s colleagues about the incident. But he did not identify himself to them or to Medlock.
Medlock was taken to Georgetown University Hospital with a broken left knee, lacerations and bruises. He will undergo surgery later this week.
At the hospital, DC police officer John Muniz arrived to issue Medlock a $20 jaywalking ticket. Medlock was lying sedated on a gurney, so Muniz delivered the ticket to a Daily Caller colleague, who was at the hospital with Medlock. He looked embarrassed as he did so. Behind him stood a man dressed in a dark suit who identified himself as a “special agent.” He said nothing but wrote in a notebook.
Curiously, the ticket says that Medlock was struck at an intersection four blocks from where the accident actually took place. And it claims that Medlock was walking diagonally across the intersection at the time. In one of his strikingly short conversations with the Daily Caller, agent Mike McGuinn acknowledged that Medlock was not jaywalking at all, but walking “outside the crosswalk when the incident occurred.”
The question is: Did the federal agent driving the SUV, faced with potential liabilities from the accident, encourage local police to issue some sort – any sort – of citation to Medlock, to establish his culpability?
If not, what exactly did happen? Calls to the State Department were met with evasion and indifference. Spokeswoman Grace Moe first asked a Daily Caller reporter where the publication’s offices were located before taking a message.
A second DSS spokeswoman, Sarah Rosetti, requested that questions be submitted in writing. When she responded in an e-mail, Rosetti claimed that “a jogger collided with one of the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service’s official vehicles” – as if Medlock, who does not jog, had somehow attacked the SUV.
“At all times, Diplomatic Security acted responsibly and appropriately and displayed due diligence in caring for the injured,” Rosetti continued.
Rosetti ignored a series of questions about whether McGuinn was on or off duty, who he might have been escorting or protecting, whether McGuinn identified himself to police at the scene of the accident, and whether McGuinn had anything to do with the jaywalking citation.
She said MPD had “conducted an investigation” of the incident and referred questions about the investigation to MPD.
MPD provided several answers about the level of detail they would be able to provide. MPD public affairs said a police report would not be available until early next week at the soonest. A Daily Caller reporter who visited the Second District station, where Officer Muniz posts, was told there will be no incident report at all filed for a traffic incident.
The Daily Caller will continue to press for answers. In the meantime here are the questions sent by The Daily Caller to the Diplomatic Security Services public affairs office, followed by the responses.
QUESTIONS:
Was Mr. McGuinn protecting any member of the diplomatic corps when his SUV struck our Mr. Medlock? If so, who was he protecting? If he was not protecting or escorting anyone, was he on duty or off duty?
Was Mr. McGuinn driving a state department vehicle?
Did Mr. McGuinn at any time identify himself to Mr. Medlock or to Metropolitan Police? Did he accompany Mr. Medlock to the hospital?
Did Mr. McGuinn contact MPD to have them write Mr. Medlock a jaywalking ticket that was delivered to Mr. Medlock while he was in the hospital being treated for a broken knee (which will require surgery), lacerations and bruises? If so, do you consider that ethical or proper behavior?
Did a diplomatic security service special agent accompany the MPD officer into the hospital room while Mr. Medlock was being questioned, observe and take notes? Was that officer Mr. McGuinn?
Does Mr. McGuinn contend that Mr. Medlock was jaywalking?
Did Mr. McGuinn apologize to Mr. Medlock after the incident? Does the State Department plan on issuing an apology to Mr. Medlock?
Will any disciplinary action be taken against Mr. McGuinn? Is this the first time he has been involved in a vehicular accident?
ANSWERS:
At approximately 7:10 PM last night, a jogger collided with one of the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service’s official vehicles.
The jogger was transported by ambulance to Georgetown University Hospital.
Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) responded to the scene and conducted an investigation. Diplomatic Security has since learned that the jogger was cited for Jaywalking. For further details regarding the investigation, we would refer you to MPD.
At all times, Diplomatic Security acted responsibly and appropriately and displayed due diligence in caring for the injured.
Mike Riggs and Gautham Nagesh contributed to this report.
Ticket him while sedated? Ticket him for being out of the crosswalk when he was?
I wonder what kind of story he was in the process of writing? What kind of writer is he, I wonder?
America -- a great idea, didn't last.
Don’t know. I thought this was interesting. Attack of the SUV.
I don’t understand why they felt the need to ticket a man whom appeared to be walking IN the crosswalk and not the Agent?
Here’s his blog: http://dctrawler.dailycaller.com/
This is so typical of the SS.
In CA some time ago, an SS agent cut off another car at an intersection and the driver made a pistol out of his hand and aimed his hand at the SS agent who almost caused an accident. The SS agent chased the car down, arrested the driver fo communicating a threat to a federal official. We got what we deserved in electing all these limp-wristed politicians. Enjoy it America as it won’t get much better.
It sounds like something out of a novel - taking out someone who has been causing trouble...
Just more proof that our federal gubment is out of control and needs to be destroyed!
I have a strong feeling that this story is not going to “go away” anytime soon.
The driver definitely did not realize the employer of the gentleman that he hit.
-Since witnesses took care of the victim they should be listed on the accident report and can state where the accident actually occurred.
-It isn't unusual for there to be a delay in public reports as they have to be completed, approved, and available with their records department. When my car was struck by a deer on the highway I got the case number right away but it took a week before I could get a copy of the report for my insurance.
-Did the driver stop at the scene and provide his info to the MPD?
More info is needed in the coming days. No Code Orange pings just yet.
Hopefully their names and contacts were collected.
any security cams in the area that have already been accidently erased? Had McGuinn been drinking?
A ticket for a DIFFERENT geographical location. Ought to have an easy alibi for that one.
BTTT.
The government does not answer to mere PEASANTS!
The Fed is a private entity, not state/public. not that I’m disagreeing with your post however.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=8518
20 years ago I saw a vehicular accident take place. The person who was not at fault (was pretty much T-boned) was stunned and I wanted to help. He was driving a pick up truck that said pest exterminator. So I wrote down my phone number and gave it to this stunned man who was kind of out of it from the collision.
Months went by and one day I got a call from his lawyer
I went to the lawyers office and they were very happy when I said I was willing to testify or be deposed. As I was leaving I said I was going to xxxxx restaurant to get a bite. The lawyer was grateful and tried to give me $20, I said just give me $5 and I was off
I called a few months later and they had reached an out of court settlement that was favorable to the victim because the lawyer told them they had me in reserve, a witness who would testify his behalf. I regret not taking the $20.
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