Police: Man Faces Assault Charges After Trying To Flee From Drug Bust

A Euclid man faces a bevy of charges after Mentor Police busted him for selling heroin, Mentor Police Sgt. Richard Slovenkay said.

Undercover officers set up a buy bust on suspected heroin dealer Brian Hancock, 38, Wednesday afternoon. When police went to arrest Hancock he tried to escape, Slovenkay said.

Hancock hit two unmarked police cruisers with his car -- both of which had officers in them -- when he tried to flee, Slovenkay said. However, police were able to stop him before he got away.

Hancock was charged with two counts of felonious assault, one count of fleeing and eluding, three counts of heroin trafficking and a count of possession of criminal tools.

The "criminal tools" refer to two cell phones, a digital scale and $640 in cash that Hancock had on him when he was arrested, according to court records.

Neither the police officers nor their cruisers were seriously damaged, Slovenkay said.

Hancock was arraigned Thursday morning in . He made no plea on any his charges.

Judge John Trebets set his bond at $280,000, which was not posted.

Slovenkay said Hancock's arrest is especially important because of the impact heroin has had on the region.

"A lot of the theft and other crimes in the city are driven by opiate addicts," he said.