A FLORIDA SURGEON ACCUSED OF CAUSING A PATIENT’S DEATH DURING SURGERY AFTER ALLEGEDLY REMOVING THE LIVER INSTEAD OF THE SPLEEN. (PHOTO).

Florida surgeon accused of fatal surgical error arrested while driving Lyft passengers during traffic stop

A Florida surgeon accused of causing a patient’s death during surgery after allegedly removing the liver instead of the spleen was arrested in a dramatic roadside takedown while working as a Lyft driver, according to body camera video. The footage shows deputies with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office surrounding a vehicle with guns drawn on April 13 in Miramar Beach, Florida, before pulling Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky, 44, from the driver’s seat and handcuffing him at a busy intersection. Shaknovsky appeared confused during the arrest and told officers there were passengers in the back seat before being informed he was being taken into custody on a manslaughter charge.

Deputies then removed two passengers from the back of the vehicle, both of whom said they were on vacation and had been picked up from a hotel. One said the armed arrest made them fear they were being robbed. Authorities said Shaknovsky had been indicted a week earlier and was aware of the warrant but did not turn himself in. He was later booked on a second-degree manslaughter charge tied to the 2024 death of William Bryan during a laparoscopic procedure, where prosecutors allege the wrong organ was removed. His medical license was later suspended, and he has also faced separate malpractice lawsuits tied to another patient’s death. Shaknovsky is scheduled for arraignment in May and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.