ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A 38-year-old man is behind bars after authorities say he stabbed a person who crashed into his car Tuesday morning on the Howard Frankland Bridge.
The crash involved a total of three cars, and the person stabbed was taken to a nearby hospital where he is facing serious but non-life-threatening injuries, the Florida Highway Patrol said in an updated news release. The incident caused a major backup on the bridge for hours.
Patrick Scruggs was charged with aggravated battery, aggravated assault and burglary of an occupied conveyance. He was transported to the Pinellas County Jail.
At 9:24 a.m., troopers responded to a crash along the southbound lanes of Interstate 275 on the Howard Frankland Bridge involving three cars.
Authorities say they learned a 35-year-old man had stopped in the travel lanes and was slumped over inside of his car for an unknown reason. A 40-year-old man who was driving on the bridge saw that the 35-year-old looked unwell, so he and his wife stopped their car in front of the 40-year-old to check up on him, FHP says.
The 40-year-old was not able to get inside the 35-year-old's car, so he went back to his car to get an item that could break the window the help the man. However, law enforcement says the 35-year-old woke up and drove forward, which caused him to crash with the 40-year-old's car.
The 35-year-old reportedly reversed and tried to drive around the car he hit, but instead, he crashed into Scruggs' car, which was passing the incident.
Troopers say Scruggs stopped his car, got out of it, went up to the 35-year-old, broke the side window of the car began stabbing him multiple times with a pocket knife.
The 40-year-old man and his wife went back to the 35-year-old's car to help him out after he got stabbed, but then Scruggs turned his attention toward them and tried to stab the pair, FHP says. They were able to run away before they could get hurt.
An officer with the St. Petersburg Police Department who was passing by the crash stopped their patrol car to arrest Scruggs and provide aid to the 35-year-old man.
The crash and stabbing caused portions of the interstate to close for almost three hours.