2 Held in Ill. Deputy Shooting, Standoff    

[June 23, 2007]  TUSCOLA -- Two men are accused of a wild crime spree in which authorities say they fled from a police stop, robbed a house, stole several vehicles, critically wounded a sheriff's deputy, and one took hostages at a bank.

Police were trying to determine whether the men also were connected to a fatal stabbing in Chicago. The car used by the suspects was traced to a 40-year-old man found dead in his home that was littered with Satanic symbols, Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said.

William B. Thompson, 26, and Yusef Kareem Brown, 23, will be arraigned next week on charges that include attempted murder of a peace officer, armed robbery, aggravated vehicle hijacking, home invasion and kidnapping, prosecutor Kevin Nolan said. Thompson, who stormed the bank, also could face an attempted bank robbery charge. The men were ordered held in lieu of $5 million bond each.

The spree began during a midmorning traffic stop Thursday when the suspects sped off after a drug-sniffing dog was brought in to search their car, State Police Sgt. Bill Emery said.

"We have no idea why they were down in this area," Emery said. "Interstate 57 is pretty much a pipeline to the drugs."

The two robbed a house a few miles from there, ditched the car they were in and stole a van and a pickup truck, he said.

At a news conference Friday evening, Emery clarified the circumstances of the shooting of sheriff's deputy Tommy Martin, saying Martin had not pulled over one of the vehicles, as authorities previously reported. Rather his car was passing one of the stolen vehicles from the opposite direction when the driver opened fire, hitting Martin in the face and torso, Emery said.

Emery said he did not know which of the suspects shot Martin. After the shooting, the suspects abandoned the pickup truck and both got into the van.

Martin radioed for help and authorities chased the van at speeds of over 100 mph, with the suspects firing at them, before the driver lost control of the van as it careered over railroad tracks, and the suspects abandoned it, Emery said.

Brown was taken into custody and Thompson fled into the bank, authorities said.

"He was in, and he said, 'Get down,' and we saw the gun," Terri Cherry, a teller at the bank who was one of the hostages, said Friday.

"We were all in shock," said Cherry, who was released after about 20 minutes.

He was holed up with five hostages, releasing four of them over seven hours. After speaking with an FBI hostage negotiator, the suspect peacefully left the bank with the remaining hostage, Emery said.

"They both agreed he would come out and surrender," he said. "We told him what door to go out and he went out the door and the hostage with him."

Authorities declined to identify the hostages.

Meanwhile, the body of Arnie Graves was found Thursday in his South Side Chicago apartment after his family requested a well-being check, police said.

"There were Satanic messages and paraphernalia at the crime scene," Bond said.

Chicago police wouldn't discuss whether the Chicago victim knew or had a link to the two men caught in Arcola.

"The only link right now that we can establish is the link of the vehicle that was found in Arcola being linked to the victim," First Deputy Superintendent Dana Starks said.

Both suspects were being held at Douglas County Jail. Thompson and Brown have been convicted of felony drug charges and shared the same Chicago address, Nolan said.

Authorities said they did not know which one shot the deputy who was in critical condition.

Sheriff Charlie McGrew said he spoke with Martin, a 59-year-old father of two, on Friday.

"He would not want a big fuss made about him," McGrew said. "He was making every effort to protect the public."

Arcola, about 150 miles south of Chicago, is home to an Old Order Amish settlement. The rural area has several Amish homes, business and schools, and horse-drawn buggies are a frequent sight.

[Associated Press]