A former federal prosecutor of defendants involved in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, now faces violent charges of his own.
On Wednesday, the Tampa Bay Times reported that a suspect detained over a bizarre local road rage incident is 38-year-old Patrick Douglas Scruggs.
According to a Tuesday press release from the Florida Highway Patrol, the Times reported, Scruggs was arrested and charged with aggravated battery, aggravated assault, and armed burglary. The former federal prosecutor was charged after an episode during the morning rush hour wherein Scruggs pulled over and started stabbing a 35-year-old man with a pocket knife.
The commotion apparently began when a couple pulled over to check on a man slumped over the steering wheel on the side of the road. When the couple returned to their vehicle to grab something that could break the car window, the slumped-over man turned on the car and rammed the vehicle of the couple trying to help. When the man put the car in reverse, the vehicle hit Scruggs’ vehicle. That’s when Scruggs reportedly got out of the car and began to stab the driver.
“The 35-year-old man was taken to a local hospital with injuries authorities described as serious but not life-threatening,” the Times reported. “[Scruggs] was released from the Pinellas County Jail about 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday after posting $65,000 bail, records show.”
Scruggs worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office from 2013 to 2023, according to the Times, citing his LinkedIn page. He is now listed as “of counsel” for Barnes and Thornburg, an Atlanta-based law firm.
“Scruggs also appeared on behalf of the federal government during hearings for Florida residents accused of taking part in the riots at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021,” the Tampa paper reported.
Scruggs prosecuted Adam Johnson, a Florida man made famous from the Jan. 6 riot for prominently marching through the Capitol with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s lectern. In February last year, Johnson was sentenced to 75 days in prison, followed by a year-long supervised release. Johnson was also ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and complete 200 hours of community service.
