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Patrick Scruggs mugshot
Attorney Patrick Scruggs was arrested following a wild road rage incident. The lawyer, who previously worked as a federal prosecutor that handled some of the January 6th riot cases and most recently was employed as of counsel at Barnes & Thornburg, is accused of stabbing a man with a pocket knife on a Tampa bridge.
As described by Law & Crime, the incident began during rush hour when a car stopped on the bridge for “unknown reasons.”
The driver of that first car was identified as a 35-year-old man by the Florida Highway Patrol in a press release. His sedan had blocked some of the southbound lanes and the driver was visibly slumped over.
Upon noticing the distressed fellow motorist, a couple from Tampa – identified as a 40-year-old man and his 43-year-old wife – stopped just in front of the sedan and got out of their car to try and render aid to the man behind the wheel because of “the hazard,” the FHP says.
The driver of the second car was unable to get inside, so he went to find something to break the first car’s window and help the driver out, according to law enforcement. Just as that was about about to happen, however, the first driver woke up and jammed on the gas pedal – careening into the helpful couple’s car. Then, the driver tried to maneuver around the car he had just hit by backing up.
That’s when he reversed into Scruggs’ car, the FHP says.
The lawyer, who had been driving by the incident at the time his car was struck, got out of his vehicle, according to law enforcement. Then he allegedly managed what the second driver could not – walking over and breaking the 35-year-old man’s window. After getting through, the defendant pulled out a “pocket knife” and stabbed the 35-year-old over and over, according to troopers.
Scruggs was arrested on charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault, and armed burglary. He was released on $65,000 surety bond.
And his Biglaw career seems to have hit a bump, with a firm representative saying, “He is no longer employed with Barnes & Thornburg.”
But there may be more to the tale, at least according to Scruggs’s attorney. “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. We urge that the public keep an open mind and withhold from making judgments. We will bring forth all of the facts and make them known to the authorities in the proper forum.”
Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.
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