Watch Suspect Drop Out of Ceiling into Fla. SWAT Officers' Arms

Indian River County sheriff's deputies were surprised when a suspect with a stolen pickup truck fell out of a ceiling into the arms of SWAT officers during a barricade incident.
Nov. 10, 2025
2 min read

What to know

• A standoff ended unexpectedly when a stolen vehicle suspect crashed through the ceiling and into the waiting arms of Indian River County Sheriff's Office SWAT members during a standoff.

• Deputies had tracked the suspect to a home using license plate reader alerts tied to a stolen pickup truck.

• After hours of refusing to surrender, the suspect fell from the attic where he had been hiding, bringing the standoff to an abrupt—and gravity-assisted—end.

Florida deputies had a stolen vehicle suspect fall into their arms—literally—when the man dropped through a ceiling during a standoff last week.

The Nov. 3 incident began when a license plate reader identified a pickup truck stolen out of Osceola County in October along County Road 512 for Indian River County sheriff's deputies, the agency stated in an online news release. Thanks to efforts by the sheriff's office's real-time crime center, he suspect—later identified as Keith Rodgers—was seen using the pick to haul lumber from a Home Depot.

When deputies found the stolen truck, it was parked outside a home, and Rodgers was unloading the lumber. The suspect fled inside the house when he spotted deputies and refused to surrender. 

"Due to his extensive criminal history and previous statements that he would get into a shootout before going back to jail, SWAT and Crisis Negotiators were deployed," the sheriff's office stated.

Deputies believed to hiding in the home's attic during the standoff. Eventually, SWAT officers entered the home, and they received a surprise.

"After several hours, Rodgers fell through the ceiling into the arms of SWAT members," the sheriff's office stated.

Rodgers was taken into custody without incident. He faces multiple felony charges in Indian River and Osceola counties.

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.
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