Man Dancing On Rooftop: Man Sets Ex-Girlfriend’s House On Fire, Dances On Roof During Police Standoff [Video]

Footage of a man dancing on a rooftop has gone viral online, and now the series of events that led to the dramatic ending of his performance have been revealed. According to the Daily Mail, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department responded to a 911 call made by a woman who said her house was on fire.

First responders arrived at a home in an Indianapolis, Indiana, neighborhood to Matthew Russ wielding a knife while sitting in a chair in the driveway. When he noticed officers approaching the home, he allegedly ran and barricaded himself inside and set the house on fire.

Indiana man sets ex-girlfriend's home on fire, dances on roof as house burns: Matthew Russ, 25, of Indianapolis was… https://t.co/4sg1Ilo9dN

— Huntsville AL Now (@huntsvillealnow) October 21, 2015

As smoke escaped from the house, Russ emerged from an upstairs window onto the roof to stand off against police officers at the scene. That’s when he began dancing. The Indianapolis Fire Department attempted to put a ladder up to the house to help Russ down from the roof, but to no avail. He reportedly kicked the ladder and refused to come down. After several minutes of taunting officers, Russ was tased and shot with rubber bullets so officers could subdue and arrest him.

According to the International Business Times, Sergeant Kendale Adams recently recounted the events that led to Russ being subdued.

“IFD (Indianapolis Fire Department) attempted to get a ladder to him. He kicked that ladder away at least twice that I saw, and he made several bizarre statements,” said Sgt. Adams.

Russ’ arrest followed a domestic dispute that took place between him and his estranged ex-girlfriend. According to the Mirror, she revealed the incident started after she and Russ became embroiled in a heated verbal confrontation. Russ reportedly jumped in his ex-girlfriend’s car sped off. However, he didn’t make it very far because he reportedly crashed into two fences and a utility pole with power cables less than two blocks from the house. When the car became inoperable, Russ walked back to the house and sat in the driveway with the butcher knife before retreating into the house and onto the roof.

Many news outlets have perceived Russ’ actions during the standoff as a way to taunt the responding officers. However, Russ’ mental state at the time of the incident is also being questioned. Following his arrest, Russ was taken to Eskenazi Hospital for a mental evaluation. In most cases, suspects undergo psychiatric interviews as part of the evaluation. According to Psychology Info, a number of forensic psychology tests are required to determine the mental state of a suspect.

“Our legal system requires that an individual accused of a crime must be competent to stand trial in order to defend himself/herself. Further, an individual may be competent to stand trial, but may have been suffering from a psychological disorder at the time the crime was committed. This could prevent an individual from forming intent to commit a crime, and such a situation is called diminished capacity. Finally, even if the individual is competent to stand trial, and was competent when the crime was committed, the presence of a psychological disorder may present a mitigating factor to be considered at sentencing.”

After being treated, he will be taken to jail. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire, but unfortunately, extensive damage had already been done. At this point, the charges that will be brought against Russ are still unclear. The incident is still being investigated by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.

[Image via YouTube Screen Capture]