The cruiser of a Franklin County sheriff's deputy was hit head-on by a fleeing suspect.
Deputies were dispatched at 2:56 Monday morning at Appomattox Drive. The initial call came as a disturbance call, and then police later learned that a suspect pulled a knife on someone at the residence and took off in a family vehicle and was driving around the neighborhood.
Police say a deputy caught up with the suspect and turned his blue lights on right before the suspect ran into the police cruiser head-on. The suspect then took off on foot, as his van caught fire. The deputy became trapped and had to kick his door open to get out of the cruiser. The suspect, identified as Richard L. Lancaster, 22, of Frankfort, was arrested when police say he returned to the home on Appomattox.
Lancaster was taken to the Franklin County Regional Jail, where he faces a string of charges that include attempted murder and fleeing and evading police.
