MURFREESBORO – A Murfreesboro couple that was forced to flee their home, survived a dangerous home invasion yesterday.

Murfreesboro Police Chief Darryl Rowe confirmed that someone illegally entered a home on Main Street in Murfreesboro at approximately 3 a.m. Wednesday.

&uot;The homeowners were in their bedroom when they heard some noises downstairs,&uot; Rowe explained. &uot;When the husband opened his bedroom door to investigate, he saw a stranger standing on the stairway leading to the second floor of the residence.&uot;

According to Rowe, the husband and the intruder exchanged words briefly before the intruder charged the bedroom and forced his way inside.

&uot;The husband, trying to protect his wife, struggled with the suspect,&uot; Rowe said.

&uot;During the struggle the husband saw that the suspect was wielding a knife.&uot;

Rowe said that the suspect tried to make his way toward the wife as the husband yelled for her to leave the house for her own safety. The wife grabbed a pair of scissors from a sewing kit and proceeded to assist her husband in the struggle.

&uot;It is my understanding that the suspect was stabbed by the wife three-to-five times,&uot; Rowe confirmed.

The wife then made her way out of her home and attempted to run for help. The suspect also ran out of the residence and was followed by the husband who tried to alert neighbors to call for the police.

&uot;The husband lost sight of the suspect somewhere on High Street near the Jefcoat Museum,&uot; Rowe said. &uot;He then knocked on a neighbor’s door and asked them to dial 911.&uot;

Rowe said officers who arrived on the scene made it their first priority to locate the wife who was found nearby unharmed. A bloodhound was then utilized in an effort to track down the suspect, who remains at large.

&uot;We did not apprehend the suspect today but we did manage to collect substantial evidence from the crime scene,&uot; Rowe noted. &uot;The evidence will be transported to the SBI crime lab in Raleigh.&uot;

Chief Rowe said the suspect is a black male approximately 5’5&uot; to 5’10&uot; in height with a muscular build.

Rowe appealed to the public for their assistance in the apprehension of this dangerous criminal.

&uot;This is not your normal home invasion,&uot; Rowe said. &uot;This is a dangerous individual who needs to be apprehended for the public’s safety as well as his own.&uot;

Rowe said the fact that the suspect had been injured should make him more identifiable to the community, in particular family members of the suspect.

&uot;I implore the community to be more careful than usual,&uot; Rowe pleaded. &uot;If anything looks suspicious in your area, do not hesitate to call the police.&uot;

Although the suspect managed to avoid capture Wednesday morning, Rowe was confident his department would make an arrest soon.

&uot;We are asking for the public to be on the lookout,&uot; Rowe said. &uot;But we’ll get him.&uot;