Steven McCluskey
By Kevin Deutsch
A Broward judge has appointed a doctor to determine whether a man accused of carjacking a mother and her little girl outside a Coral Springs Walmart is competent to proceed with his case, court records show.
The expert will examine Steven McCluskey, 41, to learn whether he has a mental illness or intellectual disability, whether he understands the legal process, and whether other mental fitness issues impact his prosecution, according to the order from Judge Ernest Kollra.
“The court finds reasonable grounds to appoint a neutral expert to evaluate [McCluskey] and submit a written report as to [McCluskey’s] competency to proceed at this material stage of the criminal proceeding,” Kollra wrote.
“If the expert finds [McCluskey] incompetent to proceed, the expert shall include any findings that [McCluskey] has met the criteria for involuntary hospitalization” under Florida law.
McCluskey, of Coconut Creek, allegedly carjacked the woman on April 28. She was securing her daughter in the rear car seat of her 2020 Kia Forte, in the Walmart parking lot at 3801 Turtle Creek Dr., according to an arrest affidavit filed by Coral Springs Police.
“Sweetie, this is a carjacking,” McCluskey allegedly told the mother. “Take your kid out of the car, or I’m driving off with her.”
The woman did as she was told, police said. McCluskey made it less than a mile before he hit a car in the 4800 block of Creekside Drive, drove a bit farther, then exited the Kia and hid in some nearby bushes, according to the affidavit.
When police found McCluskey, he told them to shoot him.
“The suspect refused to exit the bushes and stated multiple times, ‘f— you, shoot me,’” the affidavit states.
Instead, police used a Taser on McCluskey, court records show.
After his arrest, police learned he was on probation for violating a court order in an unrelated domestic violence case, the records show.
McCluskey is being held without bond at Broward’s Joseph V. Conte facility, records show.
He is charged with carjacking without a weapon, resisting an officer, leaving the scene of a crash with damage, and violation of probation.
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Author Profile
- Kevin Deutsch is an award-winning crime journalist and author. A graduate of Florida International University, Kevin has worked on staff at The Miami Herald, New York Daily News, and The Palm Beach Post.
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