17-05-2025
Judge rejects ‘stand your ground' claim of former federal prosecutor
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Pinellas County Judge has rejected the 'Stand your ground' motion from a former Federal Prosecutor in a stabbing case from an incident in 2023.
Patrick Scruggs once worked as a Assistant U.S. Attorney. On September 26-th, 2023, he was driving on the Howard Frankland Bridge and saw a car stopped in the middle of the bridge in a traffic lane.
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Another driver saw the same stopped vehicle and got out of his car to investigate.
That driver, Ahmad Gahaf said he went to the stopped car and saw a man passed out in the vehicle. Gahaf said he tried knocking on the window, but the driver did not wake up.
Patrick Scruggs came up to the scene, and the driver who was passed out, came to and attempted to leave, hitting Scrugg's car.
The former prosecutor got out of his car and used the end of a knife to knock out the driver's window. When he did, the startled driver attempted to leave again, but his car was wedged between Scrugg's car and Gahaf's car. Scruggs then used the knife to repeatedly stab the driver.
During a hearing, Scrugg's attorney's argued this is a 'stand your ground' case, under Florida law. Scrugg's attorney's claimed 'he was justified in his use of force and had no duty to retreat'.
Several witnesses testified Scrugg's appeared enraged as he stabbed the driver and could have just walked away.
Friday, Judge Keith Meyer issued a ruling, rejecting the stand your ground claim.
In his order, Meyer wrote:
The Court finds that the State has established through clear and convincing evidence that,based on the circumstances as they appeared to the Defendant, a reasonable and prudent person would not have used the same force as the Defendant used. Although the Defendant testified, from his prospective, that his actions were necessary to prevent the obviously intoxicated victim from harming himself, the Defendant, and others by careening down the bridge, the balance of the evidence demonstrated that the Defendant was not acting reasonably.
Meyer set a trial date in September. Scruggs is facing felony counts of aggravated battery and aggravated assault.
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