INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (October 19, 2015) – Indianapolis police have resolved a situation on the city’s east side in which a man barricaded himself inside a home.
Police responded to the 3500 block of North Layman Avenue around 10:35 a.m. on a call for help. SWAT also responded to the home.
Investigators discovered that a male suspect, later identified as Matthew Russ, 25, snatched his girlfriend’s keys and took off in her car.
Russ crashed into a utility pole, went back into his girlfriend’s house, and grabbed a knife.
When police responded to the crash, they found him sitting in a chair in the front lawn of his girlfriend’s house with a knife.
When Russ saw the police, he ran back into the house with the knife. At that point in time, the girlfriend ran out of the house.
Police believe that Russ set the house on fire, and then he went onto the roof of the house while it was in flames, and he started dancing.
Police shot rubber bullets at Russ and tased him. At that point in time they were able to get him into custody, so they could transport him to Eskenazi Hospital.
The Indianapolis Fire Department successfully extinguished the fire.
Police originally thought it was a hostage situation, but it was later discovered that Russ was the only person inside the home.