VERO BEACH, Fla. — A grand jury has indicted a Colorado man accused of attempting to shoot and kill five deputy U.S. marshals who were trying to arrest him at a Florida beach.
The indictment was announced in a release Thursday by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. Court records show that Thomas Earl Steffens, 72, of Grand Junction, Colorado, was wanted on an arrest warrant in Colorado when he traveled by bus to Vero Beach.
He was then allegedly tracked by members of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force to Vero Beach on March 2.
According to the release, as the deputy U.S. marshals on the Fugitive Task Force moved to arrest him, Steffens allegedly opened fire, striking one deputy in the chest and leg. The deputies returned fire, and Steffens was taken into custody.
According to the release, Steffens is charged with five counts of attempted murder of a federal officer, five counts of aggravated assault of a federal officer and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison.
The case is being investigated by FBI Miami, with assistance from the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.
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