Virginia
Latest Coverage
See all articles
Virginia woman in viral ICE gun-pointing incident to meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill
A Northern Virginia woman who says an ICE officer pointed a gun at her during a traffic stop will meet with two members of Congress Wednesday to discuss the encounter and possible next steps.
Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA) and Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA) are set to meet with Carolina Molina on Capitol Hill on Aug. 19. The lawmakers and Molina are expected to have a press conference afterward.
The encounter happened Aug. 10 near Bailey's Crossroads in Falls Church, which is part of Beyer's district. Molina, a Loudoun County resident, is a constituent of Subramanyam.
PREVIOUS STORY | Woman speaks out after ICE officer pulls out gun during traffic stop
Molina, a U.S. citizen, previously told 7News she was driving to immigration law offices to drop off business cards when she saw Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents making arrests.
Dashcam video Molina released shows her driving near the agents and yelling toward them. Later, multiple ICE vehicles can be seen surrounding her vehicle before an officer approaches with his gun drawn.
"He got out with a gun, pointed it to my head asking why I was following them around," Molina previously told 7News. "I think my life was in danger at that point."
In cellphone video recorded from inside Molina's vehicle, an officer can be heard accusing her of nearly running over agents. Molina denied the accusation.
She was not arrested and eventually left the scene.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has offered a sharply different account of the encounter.
A DHS spokesperson told 7News that Molina was driving around ICE officers and allegedly tried to use her vehicle against them during a targeted immigration enforcement operation.
DHS said officers stopped her because they feared for their safety and said she could potentially face criminal prosecution.
Molina denied weaponizing her vehicle.
7News asked DHS whether ICE had video or other evidence showing Molina trying to hit agents and how long the officer who drew his gun had been with the agency. Those questions had not been answered as of the publication of the previous report.