Man barricades himself in attic, falls into SWAT’s arms after truck theft
By: -----
Sebastian, FL - A man wanted for stealing a white pickup truck barricaded himself in his attic before falling through the ceiling and into the arms of a SWAT team.
On October 19, the Indian River County Sheriff's Office (IRCSO) received reports about a stolen white Ford F350 hauling lumber that was heading west near Louisiana Avenue on CR 512 after being stolen out of Osceola County.
Through investigative efforts, the sheriff’s office identified the suspect as Keith Rodgers, who was purchasing lumber from a Home Depot in Sebastian. Deputies later found the vehicle in a driveway on Melrose Lane, where Rodgers was seen unloading wood before running into the home to evade law enforcement.
Deputies say Rodgers, 37, barricaded himself inside the home and refused to respond to verbal commands. Because of his criminal history and previous statements that he would “get into a shootout” before going back to jail, the sheriff’s office deployed SWAT and crisis negotiators to the scene.
After several hours of Rodger hiding in the attic, he fell through the ceiling and into the arms of the SWAT team that was waiting to take him into custody.
Rodgers was booked on multiple felony counts of grand theft auto and resisting an officer without violence. Rodgers is currently being held on a $20,000 bond.