A man accused of the stabbing that occurred after the Tuesday crash on the Howard Frankland Bridge is a former assistant US attorney who spent around 10 years working for the US Attorney’s Office in Tampa.

He has been identified as Patrick Douglas Scruggs.

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Who is Patrick Douglas Scruggs?

Patrick Douglas Scruggs is 38 years old. He is a resident of Tampa. According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked at the U.S. Attorney’s Office from 2013 to 2023. He represented the federal government during this time in proceedings involving Florida residents who were allegedly involved in the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, which were led by Donald Trump’s followers.

He joined Barnes and Thornburg, an Atlanta-based private law practice, as “of counsel” in May of the same year. According to his biography, Scruggs is a skilled litigator and investigator with knowledge of several areas of criminal law.

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Scruggs was detained on suspicion of aggravated assault, aggravated violence, and armed burglary. According to documents, he made $65,000 bail and was freed from the Pinellas County Jail at 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

A 40-year-old Tampa man and his 43-year-old wife were traveling on Interstate 275 when they spotted a stopped car on the bridge at around 9:24 a.m., according to a statement released by the Florida Highway Patrol on Tuesday. A 35-year-old Tampa man who was driving the stopped car was slouching. 

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In order to assist, the couple stopped their car, but they were unable to get inside. The 40-year-old man returned to his vehicle to get a tool to break the window. In the meantime, the 35-year-old driver awoke and started to move, slamming into the couple’s automobile.

Scruggs pulled over after the crash, got out, and went to speak to the person who hit his car. The 35-year-old man was reportedly stabbed by Scruggs after he reportedly broke a window with a pocketknife.