After training as a tank crew member in Fort Knox, Kentucky, Nelson served in the Army from 1978 to 1980, and was part of a
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawn_Nelson
Shawn Timothy Nelson (August 21, 1959[1] – May 18, 1995) was a U.S. Army veteran and unemployedplumber who stole an M60A3 Patton tank from a United States National Guard Armory in San Diego,California, and went on a rampage on May 18, 1995, destroying cars, fire hydrants, and a recreational vehiclebefore being shot and killed by police.[2]
Early life
Nelson grew up in Clairemont, played balboa senior league baseball (excellent catcher), and attended Madison High School. After training as a tank crew member in Fort Knox, Kentucky, Nelson served in the Army from 1978 to 1980, and was part of a tank battalion stationed inGermany. After leaving the army he served on a tuna-fishing boat in Panama. Later, he returned to San Diego.
He joined a plumbing company and quickly gained a reputation among the clients, who would ask for his services by name. He decided to leave the company and start his own plumbing business.
Prior to the incident[edit]
He joined a plumbing company and quickly gained a reputation among the clients, who would ask for his services by name. He decided to leave the company and start his own plumbing business.
Prior to the incident[edit]
Nelson was hospitalized in 1990 for neck and back injuries from a motorcycle accident. He sued the hospital for $1.6 million citing negligence, assault,battery and false imprisonment. A superior court judge dismissed the case, and the hospital counter-sued for $6,640 in medical fees and legal expenses. Nelson claimed that he was forced to be treated without his consent.
His wife of six years filed for divorce against him in 1991, and both of his parents died of cancer in 1992. Scott Nelson, Shawn's brother, said that Shawn became addicted to methamphetamine in the few years prior to the incident. His neighbors complained to authorities of Shawn yelling at his roommate at night. Nelson then began to exhibit unusual behavior. On one occasion, he dug a hole 15 feet (4.6 m) deep in his backyard in an attempt to mine forgold.[3] In February 1995, he filed a notice informing the county of his plans to mine bedrock in his backyard, even though he was not required to because his backyard was private property.[citation needed] Nelson's fishing friend, Carson Honings, referred to the mine shaft as Shawn's "new hobby". In April, he filed two damage claims against the city totaling $2,000,000. One of them was for police negligence, and another for false arrest.
Nelson's neck and back problems, combined with the theft of plumbing equipment from his truck, effectively halted his business. With no income, his utilities were cut off and his house was in foreclosure.[2] In April 1995, his live-in girlfriend died of a drug overdose. His brother, Scott, said of him, "My brother was a good man. He'd help anybody. He just couldn't help himself."
Tank rampage[edit]
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 Thursday, May 18, 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-tonM60A3, he was finally noticed by a guardsman, who approached the tank. Nelson was able to start 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]
Nelson led police on a 23-minute, televised chase through the streets of the Clairemont neighborhood of San Diego. The tank had a top speed of 30 miles per hour (48 km/h), making the chase slow compared to police chases involving automobiles. The 57-ton tank easily plowed through road signs, traffic lights, fire hydrants and crushed a van against a recreational vehicle, then plowed through the RV. He even attempted to knock down a bridge by running into the supports, but gave up after he failed to topple it with the first few hits. He eventually became caught on a concrete median of State Route 163, as he attempted to cross the median into the oncoming traffic. Four police officers climbed onto the tank. San Diego Police officer Paul Paxton, a gunnery sergeant at the time with the Marine Corps Reserve, was able to open the hatch. 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.[2] Officer Paxton's partner, Richard Piner, leaned in and shot Nelson. The bullet struck Nelson in the shoulder. Nelson later died in the hospital. Despite the widespread property destruction, Nelson was the only fatality in the incident.
Police action[edit]
Questions were raised as to whether or not it was necessary for the police to kill Nelson. Scott Nelson claimed police were justified in shooting his brother.[3] Police Captain Tom Hall said that if Nelson managed to free the tank, he "could have taken out no less than 35 vehicles that were passing at that moment."[2] As one police officer said, "if he gets loose from there, if he gets into oncoming traffic, we will have someone killed". Police decided that if non-lethal action such as tear gas were used, this might have stopped Nelson, but not the tank, and officers would not be able to enter the tank if it were still mobile with tear-gas present.[citation needed]
According to live news coverage at the time, officials were seriously considering asking for help from the United States Marine Corps at Camp Pendletonin the form of a Cobra attack helicopter, as the police force lacked the means for disabling a tank.[citation needed]
News coverage[edit]
 | This section does not cite any references or sources. (March 2011) |
Local television news station KGTV, Channel 10, broadcast footage of Nelson's shirtless, bloodied body being pulled from the tank by police both live and during the eleven o'clock news. It was in the broadcast that Scott Nelson recognized his brother as the perpetrator. KGTV was the only station that decided to air this footage. Jeff Klotzman, then the news director at KGTV, said in response to criticism, "we felt it was a critical part of the story. We warned our viewers three different times that it was graphic, and it was." Richard Tuininga, news director of KUSI, Channel 51, supported Klotzman's decision, even though his own news program decided not to air the footage.
Armory security[edit]
Officials at the National Guard armory where Nelson stole the tank were criticized for what appeared to be a huge lapse in security, especially after the attack in Oklahoma City the previous month. In addition to the open, unguarded gate to the vehicle lot, the fence surrounding the lot had damaged barbed wire in some places. Residents near the armory said that even if the gate had been locked, Nelson could have simply climbed the fence in sections where the barbed wire was damaged. Armory officials said that only a few people are given keys to the vehicles, that the vehicles were kept far away from fences to make them difficult to reach, that only someone with proper knowledge could operate and even start a tank, and that there was just no way to foresee such an event taking place. After Nelson's theft of the tank, security was tightened at the Kearny Mesa armory.[4]
In popular culture[edit]
Cul de Sac: A Suburban War Story, a documentary film, was made that was based on the incident.[5] The band Megadeth shot a video based on the incident, for the single "The Right to Go Insane".
References[edit]
- ^ California Death Records. Accessed 17 May 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Man Killed After Stealing Tank for Rampage. The New York Times. May 19, 1995.
- ^ a b c d Rotella, S. and C. Kraul. Tank's Driver Beset by Drug, Money Problems. The Los Angeles Times. May 19, 1995.
- ^ Theft of Tank Raises Questions About the Security at Armories. The New York Times. May 21, 1995.
- ^ Cul de Sac: A Suburban War Story at the Internet Movie Database
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Shawn Nelson
Shawn Timothy Nelson (b.1960? - d.May 17, 1995) was a US Army veteran and unemployedplumber who, at the age of 35 and under the influence of methamphetamine, stole an M-60 Patton Tank from a National Guard Armory in San Diego, California and went on a rampage on May 17,1995 destroying cars, fire hydrants, and even an RV, before being shot dead by police.
Contents |
Personal life
Early life
Nelson grew up in Clairemont, played balboa senior league baseball (excellent catcher), and attended Madison High School. After training as a tank crew member in Fort Knox, Kentucky, Nelson served in the Army from 1978 to 1980, and was part of a tank battalion stationed inGermany. After leaving the army he served on a tuna-fishing boat in Panama. Later, he returned to San Diego.
He joined a plumbing company and quickly gained a reputation among the clients, who would ask for his services by name. He decided to leave the company and start his own plumbing business.
Problems begin
Nelson was hospitalized in 1990 for neck and back injuries. He sued the hospital for $1.5 million citing negligence, assault, battery, and false imprisonment. A superior court judge dismissed the case, and the hospital counter-sued for $6,640 in medical fees and legal expenses. Nelson claimed that he was forced to be treated without his consent.
After divorcing his wife of six years in 1991, and losing both his parents to cancer, Nelson started to lose control. According to his brother, Scott, Shawn Nelson started abusing drugs in 1993, and his life took a drastic change. Neighbors started reporting loud shouting arguments between Nelson and his roommate, calling the police on several occasions. As time went on Nelson started to exhibit very strange behavior. In particular, he dug a 15-foot hole in his backyard in an attempt to mine for gold and other minerals. In February of 1995, he filed a notice informing the county of his plans to mine bedrock in his backyard, even though he was not required to because his backyard was private property. Nelson's fishing friend, Carson Honings, referred to the mine shaft as an eccentric, but not obsessive, "new hobby." In April of the same year, he filed two damage claims against the city totaling $2,000,000. One of them was for police negligence, and the other for false arrest.
Nelson's neck and back problems, in addition to his plumbing equipment being stolen from his truck, effectively halted his business. With no income, his utilities had been cut off and his house was in foreclosure. In April of 1995, his live-in girlfriend died. Abusing methamphetamine and alcohol, and fighting depression, Nelson was in serious trouble. His brother, Scott, said of him, "My brother was a good man. He'd help anybody. He just couldn't help himself."
Tank rampage
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," in apparent reference to the Oklahoma City bombing. 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 of Wednesday, May 17, 1995, Nelson drove his Chevrolet van to the National Guard Armory in Kearny Mesa. Although the gate to the vehicle yard was usually locked after 5:00PM, 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 hatch. The first tank he broke into would not start, and neither would the second. As Nelson lowered himself into the third tank, a 57-ton M-60 Patton, he was finally noticed by a Guardsman, who approached the tank. Nelson managed to start the vehicle, and with little chance of stopping him, the Guardsman rushed to a phone and called police. Ammunition was kept in another building, so the vehicle's weapons were not loaded.
Nelson led police on a 23-minute, televised chase through the streets of the Clairemont neighborhood in San Diego, California. The tank had a top speed of 45 miles per hour, making the chase slow compared to police chases involving automobiles, but it was no less dangerous. The 57-ton tank easily plowed through road signs, traffic lights, and, in what's probably the most famous image of the chase, crushed a van up against an RV, and then plowed straight through the RV, before getting caught on a concrete median of California State Route 163, as he attempted to cross the median into the oncoming traffic. Four police officers climbed onto the tank. San Diego Police Officer Paul Paxton, a Gunnery Sergeant at the time with Alpha Company, 4th Tank Battalion, a locally based Marine Corps Reserve unit, was able to open the hatch, gaining access to the turret. 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 and that the tank would cause further damage and possible deaths, Officer Paxton's partner fatally shot him.
Controversy
Police action
Question was raised whether or not it was necessary for the police to kill Nelson. Scott Nelson himself said police were just doing their job when they shot his brother. Police Captain Tom Hall said that if Nelson managed to free the tank, he "could have taken out no less than 35 vehicles that were passing at that moment." Additionally, police decided that if non-lethal action such as tear-gas was used, this might have stopped Nelson but not the tank, and officers would not be able to enter the tank if it was still moving and with tear-gas present. Barbed wire to tangle the treads was considered, but would not have been effective especially since Nelson had already lost the right tread when he attempted to climb the median. Police officials called military personnel and discussed ways of stopping the tank, including using another tank, but all options were considered impractical, showing that the police might not have detailed the situation correctly. Any military official contacted would have recognized the tank was out-of-commission with only one usable tread. The advice given by the military contact persons could not have been usable by the police as the situation had not been accurately reported to them.
Given the urgent and obvious threat, the police would have probably been roundly condemned if they had used anything less than deadly force while the tank was mobile. The "urgent and obvious threat" was over when the tank ended its rampage on the highway median, when it became immobile. Any supposition on the reaction of the San Diego populace as to the conduct of the San Diego Police Department has to include this fact.
http://articles.latimes.com/1995-11-10/news/mn-1690_1_california-national-guard
Guard records show that in the past five years thieves breaking into California armories have made off with five Humvees, ..War. Three of the stolen vehicles, taken from armories in Glendale, Brawley and Santa Rosa, were recovered, but two that were taken from the Fresno armory are still missing.
The latest Humvee theft in Fresno took place two weeks after the tank rampage in San Diego, when security was supposedly tightened at all Guard facilities. In all, thieves and vandals over the five years cracked security at 17 California Guard facilities, damaging or stealing more than a dozen vehicles.
Particularly because the tank incident happened soon after the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City on April 19, "those kinds of terrorist activities" are reminders of dangers that are close to home.
the theft of the tank was a "very low probability event" capable of being carried out only by someone such as Nelson who had been a tank crew member--"a small segment of the population." Also, the tank was secured according to Army regulations, he said.
But "when you have a 60-ton tank, one is one too many," Bozeman said. He has since ordered action to disable "every tracked vehicle in California" to prevent theft by even trained individuals, and taken other measures such as conducting surprise security inspections.
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