Lawrence man arrested and charged with assault on police officer after chase

LAWRENCE, Kansas (KCTV) – Lawrence police arrested a man Monday afternoon following a chase during which the driver allegedly assaulted a Douglas County Sheriff's Office deputy.

The pursuit occurred shortly after 2:40 p.m. when an officer observed the man driving near Second and Locust Streets. The officer attempted to stop the man, who was wanted for questioning regarding a domestic incident in Lawrence.

The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said the suspect accelerated from the stop near the entrance to the southbound lanes of the Kansas River Bridge, then immediately slammed on his brakes and drove the rear of his vehicle into the front of the deputy's patrol car.

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After colliding with the deputy's vehicle, the suspect accelerated, drove over the center barrier and fled east on Elm Street in north Lawrence.

When the 49-year-old man drove through a residential yard in the 900 block of Elm Street and struck a fire hydrant. His car came to rest in a nearby field and was detained by officers.

Douglas County arraignment records identify 49-year-old Steven Carl Drake as the man facing nine charges. Those charges include two counts of criminal threatening of police officers, two counts of reckless driving toward an officer, aggravated assault on a police officer, three counts of criminal damage to property and one count of driving without a license.

During his arrest, the man is said to have made criminal threats to an officer.

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