INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A former neurosurgeon was involved in a shootout with Florida law enforcement Monday night as detectives tried to take him into custody on a Colorado warrant.
Thomas Steffens, 72, is believed to have fled Colorado after being accused of drugging a woman with prescription drugs and sexually assaulting her.
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Investigators said they learned Stephens was on a bus to the Treasure Coast and said “he would not be taken into custody alive.”
Members of the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force found Stephens sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle in Indian River County. The driver pulled over, but Stephens refused to get out, authorities said.
(Source: Martin County Sheriff’s Office)
He then began shooting at law enforcement officers from inside the vehicle, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, which assisted with the incident.
Detectives returned fire, striking Stephens multiple times. A photo provided by the Sheriff’s Office shows a car riddled with bullet holes.
Stephens was taken to a nearby hospital and is expected to survive, officials said.
A U.S. Marshal was also shot in the leg during the shootout. He was treated for his injuries and released, authorities said. No other injuries were reported.
In addition to the pending sexual assault charges in Colorado, Stephens now faces attempted murder charges.
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