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Indiana inmate's escape attempt is foiled by ceiling collapse, video shows

It all came crashing down when the inmate fell through the ceiling into the jail's booking area.
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An Indiana inmate's attempted escape from a county jail was foiled by the pesky collapse of a ceiling underneath him as he tried to crawl away from officers.

Blaze Ayers, who has been an inmate at Jackson County Jail in Brownstown since Christmas Eve, tried to make a break for it on Monday as officers were escorting him and other prisoners back to their holding cells from an indoor recreation area, according to a press release posted Tuesday by the Jackson County Sheriff's Department.

Blaze Ayers, 28.
Blaze Ayers, 28.Jackson County Sheriff's Office

Ayers, 28, ran into a medical room near the recreational area and locked the door behind him, the release said.

Officers pursued him into the medical room through an adjacent room, but Ayers had already climbed into the ceiling and started crawling toward the booking area.

Officers tried several times to get Ayers to come down, but he refused.

Video of the incident shows several officers in the booking area with their stun guns pointed at the ceiling. At one point in the footage, Ayers' torso breaks through a ceiling tile before several more tiles fall causing him to crash a short distance to the floor.

The sheriff's office said officers were forced to use their stun guns on Ayers after he fell because he still refused to listen to their commands.

An inmate at the Jackson County Jail attempted to escape the facility after making his way into the ceiling on Feb 4, 2019,
An inmate at the Jackson County Jail attempted to escape the facility after making his way into the ceiling on Feb 4, 2019,Jackson County Sheriff's Department

The department said Ayers caused "damage to the ceiling in multiple areas of the booking area", but they don't yet know how much repairs will cost.

Ayers was checked out by jail medical staff and treated for minor injuries.

He was also slapped with new charges of felony attempted escape and misdemeanor criminal mischief, according to the press release. Ayers, who was originally jailed on a failure to appear warrant for battery, may face additional charges, the sheriff's department said in the press release.