Latest news with #Scruggs
USA Today
29-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Clemson receives a crystal ball prediction to land 4-star offensive lineman Carter Scurggs
Clemson football's June recruiting momentum may be picking up steam again—this time on the offensive line. On Tuesday, 247Sports analyst Brian Dohn submitted a Crystal Ball projection in favor of the Tigers for four-star offensive tackle Carter Scruggs. The 6-foot-6 standout from Loudoun County High School in Leesburg, Virginia, is one of the more coveted linemen in the 2026 class, and the prediction is a notable sign of Clemson's positioning heading into a crucial stretch of visits. A few weeks ago, Rivals' Sam Spiegelman also logged a FutureCast for Scruggs to land at Clemson. The back-to-back predictions from two major recruiting services reflect growing belief that the Tigers may be in the driver's seat as Scruggs prepares for his official visit to Clemson on May 30. Scruggs has additional visits scheduled with Michigan (June 6), Penn State (June 13), and Georgia (June 20), but Clemson has clearly made a strong early impression. Under offensive line coach Matt Luke, the Tigers have taken a more targeted approach in recruiting, and Scruggs fits that mold with his size, athleticism, and upside. Clemson's push to re-establish its depth in the trenches has become a clear priority under Luke, and Scruggs would be a major win in that effort. With a big weekend ahead, the Tigers are now widely viewed as the team to watch in his recruitment. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle Contact us @Clemson_Wire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Clemson Tigers news and notes, plus opinions.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Pinellas judge denies stand your ground defense in Howard Frankland stabbing
A Pinellas judge has rejected a stand your ground claim from a former federal prosecutor who says he acted in self-defense when he stabbed another driver after a traffic crash on the Howard Frankland Bridge. Patrick Scruggs smashed the man's window and stabbed him about seven times in the arm because he feared for his safety, he testified during a two-day hearing earlier this month. After hearing from Scruggs, the victim and several witnesses, Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Keith Meyer handed down his ruling Friday and set a trial for Sept. 9. Their testimony showed Scruggs was 'acting out of anger and frustration, not in fear,' Meyer wrote in a court order. 'The balance of the evidence demonstrated that the defendant was not acting reasonably,' he wrote. Scruggs' lawyers had sought to dismiss the case under Florida's controversial stand your ground law. 'In all of this, Mr. Scruggs was attempting to prevent what appeared to be a very obviously impaired driver from harming himself with the vehicle,' Lee Pearlman, Scruggs' attorney, said during the hearing's opening statements. 'But also to prevent that man from trashing his own vehicle and continuing to flee down the bridge during rush-hour traffic.' On the books since 2005, the stand your ground law extended self-defense in Florida by removing what's known as the 'duty to retreat' when a person is faced with the threat of a violent confrontation. It permits the use of deadly force in situations where a person reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm. If a judge determines a case meets the criteria of the law, the defendant will be declared immune from prosecution. The law received strong support from the National Rifle Association when it passed. Prosecutors argued Scruggs did not act as a 'prudent person' would have in the face of an 'imminent threat.' Meyer agreed. 'A reasonable and prudent person, even under the circumstances ... would not believe that the use of deadly force was necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm or the imminent commission of a forcible felony,' he wrote. The incident occurred on Sept. 26, 2023, when Blake Sharp stopped his Lexus in traffic and slumped over into the passenger seat. Another driver, Ahmed Gahaf, saw him and pulled over to try to help, Gahaf testified. Sharp suddenly sped forward, crashing into the back of Gahaf's car, before he backed up and veered into a left lane, where he collided with Scruggs' Honda Civic. Scruggs got out of his car, clutching a small pocketknife that he used to break Sharp's car window, he testified. When he reached inside to turn the car off, a struggle between Scruggs and Sharp began. Gahaf said he approached the car, but ran away after Scruggs turned and lunged at him with the knife. After Sharp accelerated again, Scruggs began to stab him, the former prosecutor said. Sharp testified he'd had a 'medical episode' that caused him to pass out at the wheel. He woke up to Scruggs raining down blows, he said. To Scruggs and Gahaf, Sharp appeared impaired. Sharp denied he had consumed drugs or alcohol that morning. Defense attorneys filed a motion to include in the case evidence from Sharp's prior DUI conviction. At the time of the crash, Sharp was on probation after he was found intoxicated and passed out in his car near Tropicana Field. Sharp has since been sentenced to prison for a probation violation in a Hernando County case. Witnesses who recorded the bridge stabbing said they feared retribution from the man wielding the knife. They also said it appeared Scruggs returned to stab Sharp a second time. From the stand, Scruggs denied a second stabbing. When St. Petersburg police arrived, Scruggs cooperated. He appeared calm and collected, one officer testified. Scruggs was arrested and booked on aggravated battery and other charges. Scruggs said Sharp escalated the situation by grabbing his arms and trying to pull him into the car. Meyer wrote Friday he saw no evidence of Scruggs' claim in recordings shown in court.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
Ex-prosecutor accused in Howard Frankland stabbing takes stand to claim self-defense
A former federal prosecutor is making the case to a Pinellas judge that he acted in self-defense when he stabbed another driver after a traffic crash on the Howard Frankland Bridge. Patrick Scruggs smashed the man's window and stabbed him about seven times in the arm because he feared for his safety, he testified last week during a two-day hearing that ended Monday. Witnesses, too, feared for their lives. But they recalled being more terrified of the man wielding a knife and stained with blood than the driver who caused the crash. One witness said Scruggs came after him with the knife before plunging it into the victim. Two others said Scruggs walked away, then returned to the car and began stabbing the man a second time. Scruggs denied he stabbed him again. 'I realized something was wrong and my first thought was I just needed to figure out what's going on,' Scruggs said. 'I need to stop this driver, whatever's going on. And that's when I grabbed the pocket knife, because it was the first thing I could think of in the panic of the moment.' The incident occurred on Sept. 26, 2023, when Blake Sharp stopped his Lexus in traffic and slumped over into the passenger seat. Another driver, Ahmed Gahaf, saw him and pulled over to try to help, he testified Friday. Sharp's hands were trembling and he seemed to be impaired, both Gahaf and Scruggs testified. When Gahaf returned to his car to search for a tire iron to break the window and render aid, Sharp suddenly sped forward, crashing into the back of his car. Sharp then backed up and veered into a left lane, where he collided with Scruggs' Honda Civic, Gahaf said. Gahaf waved his arms to signal for help, he said. Scruggs got out of his car, clutching a small pocket knife that he intended to use to break Sharp's car window, according to filings made by Scruggs' lawyers. The car door was locked, so Scruggs used the back of the knife to shatter the window. When he reached inside to turn the car off, a struggle between Scruggs and Sharp began. Gahaf said he approached the car, but ran away after Scruggs turned and lunged at him with the knife. 'He almost stabbed me, too,' Gahaf testified. 'He was 3 feet from my chest.' Scruggs said he thought Gahaf was a passenger in Sharp's car. He told Gahaf: 'Back the f—k up. Are you trying to kill me?' In a 911 call played in court, Gahaf can be heard saying, 'No, no, not me.' Moments later, Sharp tried to accelerate, according to video footage played in court Friday. Scruggs then stabbed him several times in his arm. As Gahaf spoke with a 911 dispatcher, the court document states, Scruggs shouted into the phone, 'He's bleeding! I just stabbed him! He needs an ambulance!' Amanda Post, another driver who recorded the stabbing and testified Friday, said Scruggs appeared 'angry' and aggressive. 'He looked enraged,' she said. 'I was afraid that maybe if he saw me take a video of it, he could break down my window and try to stab me.' Post said she saw Scruggs walk away to make a phone call. But he returned minutes later. 'He went back to stab the man again,' she said. A second witness who testified corroborated Post's account. Scruggs denied stabbing Sharp a second time. 'The only time I stabbed him was that first burst,' Scruggs said. 'He was complying at that point, and he didn't seem to be as much of a threat.' When St. Petersburg police arrived, Scruggs cooperated. He appeared calm and collected, one officer said Friday. Scruggs was arrested and booked on aggravated battery and other charges. Scruggs, of Tampa, spent about a decade of his career in the U.S. Attorney's Office. Before joining an Atlanta-based private law firm in May 2023, he 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 President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021. In the court filing, Scruggs' lawyers alleged Sharp was trying to flee the scene of the crash, that he was intoxicated and that he knew he had multiple arrest warrants. Sharp, who has since been sentenced to prison for a probation violation in a Hernando County case, denied that he was under the influence or that he was trying to flee when he collided with Scruggs' car. He testified Friday that he fainted while driving to work from his Seffner home. 'I woke up to Mr. Scruggs trying to stab me through the window,' he said. 'I thought I was going to die in my car.' Scruggs severed all the tendons in Sharp's left arm and sliced an artery in his wrist. Sharp said he still hasn't regained full strength in his hand and arm. Defense attorneys asked Sharp about his previous charges. At the time of the stabbing, Sharp was on probation after being convicted of a DUI when he was found passed out behind the wheel near Tropicana Field. Scruggs argued it was Sharp who escalated the situation. When Scruggs reached inside the car to take the keys, he said Sharp tried to pull him into the car, cutting his arms against the shattered window glass. 'I was worried he was going to grab the knife out of my right hand,' Scruggs said. Assistant State Attorney Nathan Vonderheide asked Scruggs whether he was angry Sharp had hit his car. 'I have a 2018 Honda Civic. I couldn't care less about my car,' he said. 'I was in shock from getting rammed at pretty high speed.' Lee Pearlman, Scruggs' lawyer, said his client found himself in a 'highly dangerous situation.' He argued Scruggs was trying to protect himself and other drivers on the road and should be immune from prosecution under the stand your ground law. 'In all of this, Mr. Scruggs was attempting to prevent what appeared to be a very obviously impaired driver from harming himself with the vehicle,' Pearlman said. 'But also to prevent that man from trashing his own vehicle and continuing to flee down the bridge during rush hour traffic.' On the books since 2005, the stand your ground law extended self-defense in Florida by removing what's known as the 'duty to retreat' when a person is faced with the threat of a violent confrontation. It permits the use of deadly force in situations where a person reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm. If a judge determines a case meets the criteria for the law, the defendant will be declared immune from prosecution. The law received strong support from the National Rifle Association when it passed. To qualify for immunity, Vonderheide argued Scruggs must have acted as a 'prudent person' would have in the face of an 'imminent threat.' Scruggs acted imprudently and was not in immediate danger, he said. 'What he also demonstrated throughout his testimony is that he's clearly frustrated and angry about this situation,' Vonderheide said. Scruggs' lawyers asked their client whether he had expected a violent struggle on the bridge that morning. 'I had no idea this was what I was getting into,' Scruggs said from the stand. 'And, honestly, looking back, there's no way I would intervene again.' Post, the witness who recorded the incident, was there when police arrived and cuffed Scruggs. 'He looked like he was proud of himself,' she testified. 'He looked smug.' A Pinellas judge is expected to rule on whether the case will be dismissed by May 16. Times staff writer Dan Sullivan contributed to this report.
Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Former federal prosecutor seen smashing car window before stabbing driver reveals defense
A former federal prosecutor in Florida who was caught on camera repeatedly stabbing a driver during rush hour traffic is hoping to have his case thrown out as part of a 'stand your ground' defense. Patrick Scruggs, 40, was filmed attacking motorist Blake Sharp, 35, in the middle of the Howard Frankland Bridge in September 2023. Scruggs appeared in court on Friday, asking for his multiple charges of aggravated battery, assault and burglary to be dismissed. The former rising star in the US Attorney's Office in Tampa is asking for the charges against him to be dropped under a law which permits an individual to use force, which could even be deadly, in instances of self-defense or to defend against violent crimes. Sharp was on his way to work after dropping off his kids at school at the time when the incident with Scruggs took place. The driver maintains he had a medical emergency at the wheel which caused him to pass out and accidentally accelerate into Scruggs' car when he regained consciousness. 'My first memory is waking up with someone stabbing me,' Sharp testified. 'All I could think of was trying to call my wife and tell her I wouldn't be coming home because some psychopath was stabbing me.' Video of the incident shows Scruggs shattering the driver's side window with the butt of a knife and then lunging inside, stabbing Sharp multiple times. Scruggs briefly walks away before briefly returning to stab him again. Now his legal team are arguing that he was acting to protect other motorists from what he believed was a drunk driver. But Sharp, who has a long criminal record and is currently serving a two-year sentence for a separate battery case, hit back at this in court. 'Just because I'm a felon does not give your client the right to stab me,' he told the court. According to witnesses, the chain of events began when drivers spotted Sharp's Lexus stopped in a traffic lane on the Howard Frankland Bridge. One passerby, Ahmad Gahaf, told the court during Friday's hearing how he approached to help. 'I said, "Open the window, I help you",' Gahaf recalled. But as Sharp stirred, he suddenly accelerated, smashing into Gahaf's car and then veering into Scruggs' passing Honda Civic. Moments later, Scruggs emerged with a pocketknife in hand. Court records show Scruggs tried shouting at Sharp to turn off the car and get out. When he didn't comply, Scruggs shattered the driver's side window. A struggle ensued and Scruggs is seen on video stabbing Sharp in the arm multiple times. 'He's bleeding! I just stabbed him! He needs an ambulance!' Scruggs reportedly shouted to a 911 dispatcher, according to court documents. Scruggs' actions didn't stop with the stabbing. Witness Ahmad Gahaf says that when he tried to intervene, Scruggs then turned the knife on him. 'He almost stabbed me too,' Gahaf told reporters. Bystander, Amanda Post, filmed part of the incident from her car - but said she was terrified to be seen in case Scruggs turned on her Another bystander, Amanda Post, filmed part of the incident from her car, but said she was terrified to be seen. 'I was afraid if he saw me take a video of it, he could break down my window and come after me,' she said. In court filings, Scruggs' attorneys argued that the former prosecutor was trying to stop a potentially intoxicated driver from endangering others. '(Scruggs) intervened to stop Mr. Sharp's efforts to flee the scene,' the motion reads. 'If he had not done so, he and other morning commuters would have been in danger.' The defense also noted Sharp's criminal history and suggested he may have been under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Medical records showed normal blood sugar levels, contradicting Sharp's claim that he suffered a diabetic episode. Scruggs testified that he feared for his life and the lives of others when he saw Sharp attempting to flee. 'I thought he was going to kill someone,' Scruggs said on the stand. 'I had to stop him.' Under Florida's 'stand your ground' law, in place since 2005, individuals are not required to retreat before using deadly force if they believe it is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm. If the judge agrees that Scruggs acted reasonably, he could be declared immune from prosecution. In a surprising development, new court filings revealed that Sharp has worked as a confidential informant for Pinellas County in the past. Defense attorneys are now seeking access to communications between Sharp and prosecutors to determine whether he received favorable treatment in exchange for cooperation. 'I aided them in busting a lot of fentanyl dealers,' Sharp admitted in a deposition. He insisted, however, that he was not working with the state at the time of the bridge incident. The defense has also filed a Brady motion, requesting all potentially exculpatory evidence, including anything that could undermine Sharp's credibility. The judge has yet to issue a ruling on the stand your ground motion, but both sides agree that the outcome could dramatically reshape the trajectory of the case. If Scruggs is granted immunity, the charges will be dropped. If not, he could face trial later this year. FLORIDA'S STAND YOUR GROUND LAW In 2005, Florida enacted its law whereby it is legal for a person to exert deadly force if: I) the person reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself, or another, or to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony; or II) the person acts under a reasonable belief as to the necessity of force In most cases, self-defense only works as a criminal defense if a person has tried to get themselves out of danger and has failed to do so. It is known as a 'duty to retreat'. Stand Your Ground states differ because they do not impose a duty to retreat. In Florida, the law not only protects a person from criminal prosecution, but also from civil proceedings. It is one of the strongest among the states that have Stand Your Ground laws. Versions of the laws are in effect in at least 28 states. The law sparked fury in 2012 in Florida when a jury acquitted George Zimmerman in the death of teenager Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer in the town of Sanford, followed Martin, who he said was behaving 'suspiciously' as he walked to a 7-Eleven to get a snack. They got into an altercation afterwards and Zimmerman shot him in the chest. Lawyers for Zimmerman said he acted in self-defense with justifiable use of deadly force and he was acquitted of all charges.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Yahoo
Baton Rouge drug bust seizes over 9,000 lethal doses of fentanyl
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Baton Rouge deputies arrested a man and a woman after over 9,000 lethal doses of fentanyl and large amounts of other drugs were seized. The East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office said accused poly-drug trafficker Rashee Scruggs, 42, was arrested after a drug bust. Search warrants were conducted on Peerless and Paige streets on April 10, where investigators found several drugs. Agents seized the following: 2.13 pounds of powder fentanyl (9,662 lethal doses) 23,715 dosage units of MDMA pills 3.51 pounds of powder cocaine 1.65 pounds crack cocaine 2.99 ounces pounds of marijuana 10 dosage units of hydrocodone prescription pills 2 dosage units of oxycodone prescription pills 1 dosage units of dextroamphetamine prescription pills 4 digital scales (cocaine and fentanyl residue) Glass measuring container with cocaine residue Money counter Boxes of plastic bags and narcotics cutting agent $82,591 (PENDING seizure) Firearm (1) Taurus, G2C semiauto 9mm handgun (Stolen through BRPD File #24-201668) Bersa, Thunder semiauto .380 caliber handgun FN, Five-7 semiauto 5.7×28 caliber handgun Scruggs faces charges of drug distribution, possession with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia. Cynthia Gross, 20, faces charges of possession with intent to distribute drugs, possession of a stolen firearm, operation of a clandestine lab, possession of drug paraphernalia and three counts of possession of a firearm with CDS. 3 men arrested after riding horses inside Walmart in Baker White House responds to Supreme Court ruling on mistaken deportation U.S. and China locked in trade war Black Power Ranger actor disagrees with writer on his casting 'Focal point of the draft': Construction crews raise NFL Draft Stage roof Witkoff meets Putin as Trump tells Russia 'to get moving' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
