A Richland County man who suffered a broken leg in a head-on crash is suing the Richland County sheriff and a deputy.
A lawsuit accuses law enforcement of escalating a minor traffic stop into a high-speed chase that, the plaintiff says, turned a busy Columbia roadway into a danger zone and ended with an innocent driver’s life upended.
The suit, filed May 14 in the Richland County Court of Common Pleas and later lodged in federal court records, was brought by Charles Barnes, a Columbia-area resident. It names Leon Lott, in his official capacity as sheriff, and Deputy Luke Martin, both individually and in his official capacity…