A Knox County deputy who was injured after a suspect drove a car at him and crashed head-on Friday morning has been released from the hospital and is home recovering from a concussion, according to the sheriff's office.
KCSO said it was pursuing a potentially dangerous suspect Friday when he hit the Knox County Deputy Kirk Johnson's cruiser head-on at the intersection of Magnolia Avenue at Kirkwood Street near the fairgrounds.
That suspect has since been identified as William Harold Smith, an incident report shows.
Smith, who was also taken to the hospital after the crash, faces a slew of charges including reckless endangerment, possession of schedule II drugs in a drug-free zone, evading arrest resulting in the risk of death or injury, DUI, driving with a suspended license, resisting arrest, driving an unregistered vehicle on a highway, leaving the scene of an accident, vehicular and aggravated assault.
According to court records, deputies were conducting an investigation near Tarelton Avenue Friday around 9:49 a.m. when they saw Smith run from the area of the investigation. After circling the area for a few hours, records state deputies saw a man matching his description driving a Gold Honda without wearing a seatbelt.
The license plate on Smith's vehicle matched a 1998 pickup truck, according to the report, and so officers attempted to pull him over. Records state Smith took off at an excessive speed, eventually driving directly at two deputies in a car.
He then continued on, and according to the court documents, he hit another officer's vehicle and spun and struck a Knoxville Police Department Forensics vehicle with two officers inside.
According to the report, three people in total were injured in the crash.
When officers caught up with Smith, he reportedly resisted arrest and refused instructions to place his hands behind his back. Once he was in custody, records show he had crack cocaine, marijuana, digital scales and a partially consumed bottle of whisky with him in the car.
