A Florida surgeon facing manslaughter charges for allegedly removing a patient’s liver instead of his spleen was arrested while driving for Lyft, terrifying his passengers when police surrounded the vehicle with guns drawn.

Doctor Arrested During Rideshare Shift

Thomas Shaknovksy, 44, was taken into custody on April 13 in Miramar Beach, Florida, while transporting two vacationing passengers in his silver Mitsubishi. Officers approached the vehicle with weapons drawn, causing the riders to fear they were being robbed. After placing Shaknovksy in the patrol car, police explained the situation to the shaken passengers. One rider told officers the incident “scared the crap out of us,” while another joked they would switch to Uber from now on.

Shaknovksy had maintained a five-star rating on Lyft for more than a year, operating under his middle name, Jacob. A Lyft representative confirmed the company removed him from the platform immediately after learning of his arrest. His medical license was revoked following the fatal surgical error.

Fatal Surgery Gone Wrong

The manslaughter charges stem from the August 2023 death of William Bryan, 70, during what should have been a routine spleen removal. According to an emergency suspension order, Shaknovksy allegedly pressured Bryan into the surgery despite the patient expressing his desire to return home to Muscle Shoals, Alabama. During the procedure, Shaknovksy converted the operation to a riskier open surgery, citing poor visibility. He then mistakenly removed Bryan’s 4.6-pound liver, identifying it as the spleen.

The surgical error triggered severe hemorrhaging and cardiac arrest. While staff rushed to revive Bryan, Shaknovksy continued the procedure without calling for assistance. Bryan died on the operating table. Shaknovksy initially claimed the patient died from a splenic artery aneurysm, but the death was later ruled a homicide caused by “liver removed during splenectomy,” according to the family’s attorney.

Pattern of Alleged Negligence

A second medical negligence lawsuit was already pending against Shaknovksy when Bryan’s widow filed her case. The son of Dorothy Dorsett, 70, alleged the surgeon failed to prevent his mother’s fatal sepsis after removing a mass during surgery. Shaknovksy is scheduled for arraignment on May 19 in Bryan’s death. The case raises serious questions about medical oversight and how a surgeon facing such allegations continued practicing medicine before his arrest during a rideshare shift.