Fla. surgeon accused of removing wrong organ was driving a Lyft when arrested, video shows

FIRST ON NBC NEWSU.S. newsU.S. newsFla. surgeon accused of removing wrong organ was driving a Lyft when arrested, video showsFootage obtained by NBC News shows law enforcement descending on Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky’s car with their guns drawn and terrified passengers in the back seat.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleWatch: Florida surgeon arrested who is accused of removing wrong organ from patient00:55Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 24, 2026, 6:36 PM EDTBy Elizabeth Chuck and Matt LavietesA Florida surgeon accused of killing a patient on the operating table by removing his liver rather than his spleen was driving passengers for Lyft when he was arrested in a dramatic confrontation, video footage shows.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The body camera video, obtained by NBC News through a public records request for footage of the arrest, shows deputies with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office descending with their weapons drawn on a Mitsubishi sports utility vehicle driven by Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky on April 13. Shaknovsky, 44, appeared confused as deputies pulled him from the car and handcuffed him at a busy intersection in Miramar Beach, Florida, the video shows. Over the wail of sirens, Shaknovsky informed the deputies that he had passengers in the back seat. "May I ask what this is about?" Shaknovsky said. Once they had him in the back of a squad car, a deputy told him: It was for a manslaughter charge. Dr. Thomas Shaknovsky during his arrest on April 13.Walton County Sheriff’s OfficeDeputies then opened the rear door of the car and two stunned women got out. Shaking, the women told the deputies that they were on vacation and Shaknovsky had picked them up from a hotel. One said that when they saw the deputies rushing toward the car with weapons out, she feared they were getting robbed at gunpoint. "That scared the crap out of us," she said. Sh...