In a dramatic turn of events, a former federal prosecutor was taken into custody in the wake of a Florida highway stabbings incident, officials revealed. Experienced attorney, Patrick Scruggs, had previously been involved in the prosecution of a defendant related to the events of January 6.
The incident reportedly occurred when Ahmed Gahaf, a resident of Tampa, came across a driver succumbing to a medical episode on the I-275 freeway southbound on September 26.
Upon regaining consciousness, the driver unexpectedly accelerated and rammed into Gahaf’s vehicle while attempting a bypass. This action caused a collision with a second car which was occupied by 39-year-old Scruggs, eyewitnesses revealed.
According to Gahaf, the former prosecutor alighted from his vehicle and approached the driver who instigated the collisions. In a shocking turn, Scruggs broke the driver’s side window and reportedly assaulted the driver with a pocket knife, causing numerous gashes and stab wounds on his arm, per the arrest report of the Florida Highway Patrol.
A bystander managed to capture footage of the intense moment. In the video, Gahaf is seen trying to interject as he speaks to emergency services on his phone. Gahaf revealed Scruggs also threatened him with the blade as he tried to cease the assault on the incapacitated driver.
Scruggs now faces severe penalties on charges of armed burglary, aggravated assault, and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon according to the arrest affidavit issued.
John Nohlgren, Scruggs’s lawyer, highlighted his client’s professional background as a federal prosecutor while urging for a fair judgment ahead.
The lawyer wrote, “This was a chaotic situation involving multiple crashes caused by only one person on one of our area’s busiest bridges. That person was not Mr. Scruggs. There is much more to this incident than what is being reported and we are diligently working to bring to light the full facts of what occurred,”.
Gahaf expressed his astonishment upon comprehension that the man he had been confronting was a former federal prosecutor. Jail records show that Scruggs was released 10 hours post his initial booking at the Pinellas County Jail after a $65,000 bond was posted.
Scruggs has had a successful albeit controversial career as a federal prosecutor. He spent a decade working at the Middle District of Florida’s US Attorney’s office in Tampa where he held down the position of senior litigation counsel prior to a move to a private law firm in Atlanta. During his tenure, he played an instrumental role in the early stages of the prosecution of January 6 defendant Adam Johnson, notorious as the “lectern guy” for his infamous act of carrying away Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s lectern.
