TAMPA: FLORIDA: Former federal prosecutor Patrick Douglas Scruggs has been named as the suspect in a bizarre road rage incident on a Florida bridge that backed up traffic on the span linking Tampa and St Petersburg.
According to a statement, Sergeant Steve Gaskins of the Florida Highway Patrol told PEOPLE that troopers from the FHP responded to an accident involving three automobiles on the Howard Frankland Bridge at 9:24 am on Tuesday, September 26, 2028.
How did the Florida road rage incident begin?
The incident started when a 35-year-old Tampa man, known as Driver 1, was discovered slumped over in his vehicle. According to the report, Driver 2, a 40-year-old Tampa man, and his wife, 43, pulled over to see if they could help the person who appeared to be unconscious. Ahmed Gahaf has been named as Driver 2 by NBC News.
Gahaf reportedly went back to his car to hunt for something to shatter the window in an effort to assist Driver 1 who was slumped over after leaving his own car to check on Driver 1, according to Florida Highway Patrol.
"Before this could occur, Driver 1 awoke and drove forward, colliding with Driver 2’s vehicle," the statement read. "Unable to continue forward, Driver 1 reversed and attempted to drive around Driver 2’s vehicle; rather, Driver 1 collided with Driver 3’s vehicle which was passing the incident."
Why was former federal prosecutor Patrick Douglas Scruggs named a suspect?
Scruggs who was identified as Driver 3 was 38 years old when the tragedy occurred, and, on Thursday, September 28, he turned 39.
He worked at the US Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney from September 2012 until April 2023, according to his LinkedIn profile.
According to the FHP statement, Scruggs "stopped, exited his vehicle, approached Driver 1, broke out the side window, and began to stab Driver 1 multiple times with a pocket knife."
Gahaf and his wife then tried to intervene to stop the assault on Driver 1, but according to the statement, "as the pair approached, Driver 3 diverted his attention and attempted to stab" them. "Both fled before being harmed," the FHP stated.
"It surprised me why he did this," Gahaf said to NBC News on Thursday. "He said, 'You with him? You two, you want to kill me?' That's when he came at me with the knife."
Why was former federal prosecutor Patrick Douglas Scruggs held?
The FHP statement claims that a St Petersburg Police Officer who was unintentionally traveling down the bridge at the time of the event saw what was happening and pulled over to detain Scruggs and provide treatment to Driver 1, who "was transported to an area hospital with serious, but non-life threatening injuries."
"I wanted to help the guy and help the other people, too. It could have been a big accident," Gahaf explained. "It's four lanes, and everyone is speeding 80 mph. There could have been a big accident."
What are the charges against former federal prosecutor Patrick Douglas Scruggs?
According to the statement from the authorities, Scruggs was booked into the Pinellas County Jail on charges of aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and burglary of an occupied convenience.
The former prosecutor has paid a $65,000 bond and pleaded not guilty to the allegations, according to court documents, as per PEOPLE.
"He has no prior criminal history. This is a totally isolated incident," his attorney John Nohlgren claimed.
