The Shawn Nelson Tank Incident of 1995

[Grab the Gauge]

Shawn Timothy Nelson (August 21, 1959[1] – May 17, 1995) was a U.S. Army veteran and unemployed plumber who stole an M60A3 Patton tank from a United States National Guard Armory in San Diego, California, and went on a rampage on May 17, 1995, destroying cars, fire hydrants, and a recreational vehicle before being shot and killed by police.[2]

According to San Diego police, the week before his tank rampage Nelson told a friend that he was thinking of committing suicide, and the following weekend, told a friend that "Oklahoma was good stuff,"[3] in apparent reference to the Oklahoma City bombing which happened about a month before. Whether Nelson condoned the attack or simply meant that he enjoyed the drama is not clear. Police did not believe Nelson had any connection with the bombing or with a terrorist group.

At dusk[3] on Wednesday, May 17, 1995, Nelson drove his Chevrolet van to the California Army National Guard Armory in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood of San Diego. Although the gate to the vehicle yard was usually locked after 5:00 p.m.,[citation needed] employees at the armory were working late, and left the gate open. The vehicle yard was completely deserted.

Nelson likely used a crowbar to break open the tank hatches. The tanks involved started with a push button and did not require an ignition key. The first two tanks he broke into would not start. As he lowered himself into the third tank, a 57-ton M60A3, he was finally noticed by a guardsman, who approached the tank. Nelson started the vehicle, and with little chance of stopping him, the guardsman rushed to a phone and called police. As ammunition was kept in another building, none of the vehicle's weapons could be loaded or used by Nelson.[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawn_Nelson_(plumber)

[LieDetector]

He was headed to the TRASH COMPACTOR

[Antimage]

The years preceding the incident were maddeningly tough for Shawn. He became addicted to methamphetamine following a terrible motorcycle accident. He also lost both his parents to cancer, went through a divorce, could not work, and just before the tank theft, his live-in girlfriend died of a drug overdose.

He was in constant pain from his motorcycle injuries, and the meth was taking a toll on his perception of reality.

Nelson lodged fantastical lawsuits. He sued the hospital that cared for him after his accident for “false imprisonment.” He sued the city for “police negligence” and “false arrest.”

Friends and family said he involved himself in strange hobbies; for instance mining in his backyard for gold. He also started a “bedrock” mine, going so far as to file a notice to the city that he would be mining and then digging a fifteen-foot hole. He referred to the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building as “good stuff.”

Nelson was a plumber. When the pain from his injuries became severe, and his equipment was stolen from his truck, he could no longer work. His home went into foreclosure. His utilities were cut off. He began contemplating suicide.

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war...ank-watch.html

[zghiara]

Imagine if he had ammunition

[Antimage]

Imagine if he had ammunition

That would have been real "good stuff"

[Kazimiera]

My goodness, that tank MOVES!

[Bobby Martnen]

MODERN.
TANK.
WARFARE.

[Harkonnen]

Imagine if he had ammunition

It would have been quite difficult for him to shoot with M60A3, as the only access between the drivers position/hatch in a M60A3 is to exit the vehichle completely before taking the Gunners position. There's no way to shift positions inside the tank, which means a sniper would have likely gotten him between a shift.

[Richmondbread]

Liberal logic: We must ban all tanks.