Manhunt ends: Suspect in custody after 2 found dead in Belleville home

BELLEVILLE, Ill. – A man armed with a machete is behind bars after Belleville police say he intentionally drove into a home Sunday morning and killed two people.

A spokesperson for the Belleville Police Department said the crash happened around 9 a.m. in the 100 block of South 8th Street. When the police arrived at the scene, they found the structure on fire.

According to the police, one juvenile was rescued from the building. Once the fire was extinguished, officials say they found two victims, an adult woman and a juvenile girl, dead inside the residence.

Investigators believe the suspect, Matthew Thomas (age not provided), intentionally drove the vehicle into the home, leading authorities to treat the case as a double homicide.

Police say Thomas fled the scene by foot and a perimeter was set to conduct a search for the suspect. Residents were cautioned to stay indoors for several hours as officers looked for the man.

A citizen called police and said they believe they saw Thomas in the vicinity of a Dollar Tree, located on the 5800 block of Belleville Crossing.

The police arrived at the scene shortly after and took the suspect into custody around 1 p.m. Sunday.

The suspect has not yet been charged.

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