An on-duty Franklin County sheriff’s deputy was killed in a wreck late Wednesday, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
The crash occurred around 9 p.m. as Deputy Steven LaCruz “Cruz” Thomas was driving northbound on I-85, attempting to catch up to a traffic violator, a spokesman for the GSP said early this morning.
“An unknown tractor-trailer attempted to change lanes, causing the patrol car to travel into the grass median,” GSP said in an emailed statement. “The driver, Deputy Cruz Thomas, lost control of the vehicle, traveled across both northbound lanes of I-85 and began to overturn. The vehicle then hit several trees.”
Thomas, identified by AccessNorthGa.com as the son of Franklin County Sheriff Stevie Thomas, died at the scene of the wreck, according to investigators. He was part time with Franklin County and a full time deputy with the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.
Thomas, 26, was a father and attended Franklin County High School and North Georgia Technical College, according to his Facebook page. Many of the deputy’s Facebook friends had changed their profile pictures early this morning to a black police badge with the words “R.I.P Cruz” in white letters.
Franklin County is located about 85 miles northeast of Atlanta.
— Please return to ajc.com for updates.
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