By Shawn Henry 
Hillsborough County deputies had a little help from above last week when nabbing a suspect who allegedly swiped a ride in the Lithia area.
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It all went down on October 10, around midday, when calls came in about a stolen car near Lithia Pinecrest Road and Bloomingdale Boulevard. While street-level officers rolled up, the Sheriff’s Aviation Unit was already locked in: deputies in the sky spotted some dude bolting from the scene.
Talk about a hot pursuit—or at least a quick one. With live airborne tracking guiding the boots on the ground, the guy didn’t stand a chance. Cops ID’d him as Chad McKee, 33, who got cuffed without so much as a scuffle. The car he supposedly jacked? Found ditched a stone’s throw from where he first took off.
Now McKee’s staring down grand theft auto charges plus a resisting arrest rap (though, no shocker, no violence). Sheriff’s officials credited the whole operation to slick coordination between air and ground teams—making sure nobody got hurt and nothing else got wrecked in the process.
The takeaway? Cops aren’t just relying on old-school legwork anymore. Florida’s law enforcement has gone full sci-fi, using choppers and drones to track bad guys before things spiral into a Fast & Furious situation. Hillsborough’s aviation crew? They’ve been a game changer, slicing response times and cutting down on risky car chases.
Turns out, tech plus teamwork equals one less stolen ride on the streets. The vehicle’s back in play now as detectives piece together the rest.
Another day, another reminder—these days, the long arm of the law has wings. And in Florida’s booming suburbs, that’s not just a figure of speech.