Stolen M-60 Patton (Military Tank) Police Chase
tags:
Stumble ThisDuration 4 mins 13 seconds
At dusk of Wednesday, May 17, 1995 Tank driver, Shawn Nelson, drove his car to the National Guard Armory in Kearny Mesa. After crossing a fence, and several attempts, he finally used a crowbar to break into a M-60 Patton (57 ton) tank. He was then noticed by a Guardsman, but was not stopped in time.
The chase ends when Officer Paul Paxton, a sergeant major in the Marine Reserves, cut open the hatch with bolt cutters. The officers ordered Nelson to surrender, but he said nothing and began lurching the tank back and forth in attempt to free it from the median. Afraid Nelson would free the tank and that the four officers would be thrown off, one of them fatally shot him
At dusk of Wednesday, May 17, 1995 Tank driver, Shawn Nelson, drove his car to the National Guard Armory in Kearny Mesa. After crossing a fence, and several attempts, he finally used a crowbar to break into a M-60 Patton (57 ton) tank. He was then noticed by a Guardsman, but was not stopped in time.
The chase ends when Officer Paul Paxton, a sergeant major in the Marine Reserves, cut open the hatch with bolt cutters. The officers ordered Nelson to surrender, but he said nothing and began lurching the tank back and forth in attempt to free it from the median. Afraid Nelson would free the tank and that the four officers would be thrown off, one of them fatally shot him
couldn't even shoot him in the arm or something? this looks a little bit like execution without trial, doesn't it?
the message is, if you are mental, and you wanna go out with a bang, steal a tank.
btw if it's that easy to steal a tank, shouldn't questions be asked about the security at the army base?
He had just broken into an armory and stolen a tank, they weren't sure what else if anything he stole or was armed with. He had just charged through a town full of people with disregard for life even if he didn't target individuals. People sleep in motor homes like the ones he tore through, my wifes parents travel the country visiting their kids and grandkids like that. Blind luck somebody didn't die in one of those.
Then he charged, or tried to charge, across the lanes into oncoming traffic. If the median hadn't stopped him he might have run over a car or three before they could avoid it. When they finally had him stopped and he tried to break lose again they had to stop him, how was his choice. It was a good shooting.