Fugitive Neurosurgeon Shot 4 Times After Opening Fire on Deputies Near Vero Beach

A 72-year-old former neurosurgeon and fugitive wanted on Colorado sexual assault warrants opened fire on a six-member law enforcement tactical team Monday night near Vero Beach, wounding a U.S. Marshal and triggering a return volley that struck the suspect four times, authorities said.

Thomas Earl Steffens, a former neurosurgeon who had been suspended from a Veterans Affairs hospital earlier this year According to available information,, was taken into custody at the intersection of 12th Street and Commerce Avenue at approximately 8:29 p.m. after a brief but violent standoff. He was transported to Lawnwood Medical Center in stable condition.

The tactical team consisted of three Indian River County Sheriff's Office deputies, two Martin County Sheriff's Office deputies, and one U.S. Marshal. The marshal, struck in the leg, was hospitalized and later released. Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said the marshal may also have been struck in his ballistic vest. "Which could have potentially saved his life," Budensiek said.

An Indian River County deputy was also injured in the incident — IRCSO Sheriff Eric Flowers said investigators were still determining whether that injury resulted from shrapnel or another cause.

According to Budensiek, Steffens fled Colorado by Greyhound bus after allegedly drugging and raping a woman on Feb. 25 in Grand Junction. "Our suspect essentially did the date rape routine of putting drugs in her drink, sedating her, taking her home, raping her and then dropping her off back at the location that he picked her up," Budensiek said. He added that Steffens allegedly obtained the sedatives by prescribing medications to his own wife without her knowledge, then diverting those drugs to commit the assault.

Steffens had just arrived in Fort Pierce on Monday and was having dinner at a local restaurant with a woman when the inter-agency team — which had been tracking him — moved in. Officers held off at a nearby Publix, Budensiek said, because there were too many bystanders. Their opportunity came when the vehicle Steffens was driving was stopped by a passing train on 12th Street.

The woman traveling with Steffens cooperated immediately. "She got out of the vehicle. They pulled her back. She told them he has a gun. He's not going to go without a fight," Flowers said. When officers issued commands for Steffens to exit the vehicle, he refused. As the team prepared to deploy pepperball guns, Steffens opened fire.

"This guy made the decision that he wanted to shoot at deputies, and we shot back at him," Flowers said.

Even after being shot four times and taken into custody, Steffens remained combative. "He was still raising his middle finger at our deputies. He was still actively working against us, even though he had been shot four times," Flowers said.

At the time of the shooting, Steffens was wanted on two counts of sexual assault, second-degree assault by strangulation, and third-degree assault out of Colorado. Flowers said he will now also face attempted murder charges and potentially federal charges.

Investigators in Colorado had previously recovered multiple "high-powered" weapons from Steffens' home during their investigation, and authorities described him as a suspect in additional date rape cases beyond the Feb. 25 incident According to available information,.

Despite the criminal allegations, the Colorado Medical Board had not fully revoked Steffens' license as of the date of the shooting. As of Sept. 22, 2025, his license was listed as restricted, with an agreement not to practice medicine. He had also been suspended from an unspecified VA hospital in 2025 for inappropriate behavior.

The shooting scene forced overnight road closures on 12th Street. The Indian River County School District rerouted affected bus routes and reported no disruption to school start times.

The shooting is being jointly investigated by the Indian River County Sheriff's Office Criminal Investigations Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "We did review body camera and nearly they were clearly in a real gunfight out here," Budensiek said.

"We don't work joint operations like this unless we're tracking down really bad guys," Flowers added, "and that's the scenario we have here."

This article was generated with AI assistance using publicly available information. It was reviewed and approved by a human editor before publication. TC Sentinel uses AI writing tools in accordance with FTC guidelines.