Wednesday, May 17, 1995, was just another busy day in the beautiful city of San Diego,
California, with people going about their business and many vehicles parked outside
their houses after a typical day of work.
The sun was slowly disappearing on the horizon when, at around 6:30pm, something strange
happened at the California Army National Guard Armory on Mesa College Boulevard in the Kearny
Mesa neighborhood.
Despite the strict security protocols, the gate to the vehicle yard was open, and the
area appeared to be completely deserted, with no guards and an open gate.
Still, nobody expected anything out of the ordinary to happen.
It was then that a shirtless and disheveled Army veteran drove his Chevrolet van into
the armory, got out, and stole a Cold War-era tank.
Footage taken that day shows how 35-year-old Shawn Nelson then went on a rampage throughout
the city, leaving a trail of destruction in the suburbs that only intensified as he decided
to turn into the freeway…
Breaking into the Armory Shawn Timothy Nelson was an Army veteran born
in 1959 who had served in a tank battalion.
On May 17, 1995, he drove his Chevrolet van with the personalized license plate “KAN
FIX” into the California Army National Guard Armory north of Downton, with no military
personnel attempting to stop him.
Nelson then went straight for the deserted vehicle yard, jumped out of his van, and headed
toward the armory tanks without being noticed.
The tanks at the armory were instantly ignited with a push-button and did not require a key.
As a seasoned tank commander, Nelson knew this.
He then hopped into a tank and started it, but it did not work.
He then went for a second one, and the same happened.
As Nelson made way for a third, a 57-ton M60A3 Patton tank, a guard finally saw him and approached
as fast as he could.
However, the third attempt was the charm, and Nelson managed to start the colossus beast,
followed by the roaring sound of its engine.
The guard immediately ran away, searching for a phone to call the police.
Nelson was now on the loose, driving a 57-ton war machine with virtually no city obstacle
that could stop it while going at over 30 miles per hour.
A Wild Ride The M60 is an American second-generation main
battle tank introduced in 1959 that was the United States’ heaviest tank throughout
most of the Cold War.
The tank was a massive beast of steel and fuel that destroyed all the vehicles in its
way as Nelson raced through the streets in a destructive frenzy.
At over 57 tons, the Patton tank began mowing down cars, traffic signals, and every other
obstacle that stood on its path through a residential area.
Footage taken by CBS 8 San Diego showed the tank racing through the streets of San Diego
at over 30 miles per hour with its gun rotated backward.
With a length of over 30 feet, a width of 11 feet, and a height of 10 feet, the green
M60A3 tank was a sight to behold.
Hundreds of citizens were baffled as they witnessed the tank roar over everything as
if it was nobody's business.
Luckily, the tank had no ammunition, as that was stored in a different building from the
yard from which Nelson stole the vehicle.
The San Diego Police Department reacted quickly.
A helicopter was sent to track down Nelson as he made his way through the Kearny Mesa
neighborhood, and footage taken from the air showed the tank moving through both lanes
in the suburbs and smashing every parked vehicle it came across.
Chasing The Tank One of the first victims of Nelson’s frenzy
was a small pick-up truck that was parked in the right lane.
With a swift move, as if it was made up of paper, the M60 tank went over the vehicle
and left behind a trail of twisted steel.
Shortly after, a car driving in the opposite direction could be seen desperately backing
away in an effort to avoid the 57-ton vehicle.
Over a dozen smashed cars and several power lines were left behind by the tank rampage
before it charged through an intersection and attempted to pass through the walls of
a house.
But an instant before making contact, Nelson stops, backs away, and spares it.
One of the helicopter pilots is then heard saying that the tank has hit a fire hydrant
and continues moving east across the neighborhood.
Before leaving the area, the helicopter captured Nelson smashing a motorhome into pieces outside
a residence.
After wrecking more vehicles and power lines across Convoy Street, the M60 then headed
towards Balboa Avenue.
The armored vehicle then knocked down more light and traffic poles, and footage from
CBS San Diego captured the scene as several police cars showed up to stop the rampage.
Nelson completely ignored them and entered Interstate 805 heading South.
Once on the freeway, the driver attempted to take down a pedestrian bridge using the
tank as a battering ram.
After several failed attempts, Nelson moved on and raced through the freeway while a dozen
police cars chased him.
The helicopter followed the scene closely.
After almost 15 minutes of havoc, the police began to turn desperate.
There appeared to be no way the tank could be stopped unless it ran out of fuel.
According to live news coverage, the officers began considering asking for help from the
Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton.
Many in the force considered that only Cobra attack helicopters or another tank could stop
Nelson before more harm was done.
Assistant Chief George Saldamando later said: (QUOTE) “We had people at National Guard
headquarters asking, ‘How do you stop a tank?’
There’s a thing called a tank breaker bar.
But one of the tank tracks has to be stopped and you stick the breaker bar into a cog.
That only works if the tank is stopped.
And you have to have the breaker bar available.”
Fortunately for them, the driver made a wrong decision, and the bravery of a police officer
from the Marine Corps Reserve would bring the tank rampage to an end sooner than expected.
Stuck At Last After over 22 minutes of pursuit, it looked
like Nelson got anxious about the police chasing him and committed one crucial mistake.
While racing through the freeway at top speed, the driver thought he could smash through
the concrete barriers to cross into the State Route 163 freeway, but he got stuck halfway.
The police officers quickly brought their vehicles to an abrupt stop in a cloud of debris
and stepped out to corner the tank.
Meanwhile, Nelson attempted to back away, but it was pointless.
He was immobilized.
Four officers quickly climbed into the tank.
One of them was Paul Paxton, a gunnery sergeant from the Marine Corps Reserve.
He was familiarized with the vehicle and swiftly opened the hatch using bolt cutters.
The three officers then aimed inside and ordered Nelson to stand down, but he refused to respond
and continued maneuvering the tank.
After one last attempt to stand down, officer Richard Piner leaned in and fatally wounded
Nelson.
The footage from CBS San Diego then cuts to Nelson being attended by medical personnel,
but he was already gone.
Late that night, the M60 tank was towed away from the freeway.
Police Captain Tom Hall later told the media that Shawn Nelson had acted under the effects
of drugs, and police reports showed that the veteran had struggled during the last few
years with family and work issues, a motorcycle accident, and drowning in debt, leading to
an addiction to methamphetamines.
Scott Nelson, Shawn’s brother, would later say that: (QUOTE) “The man who died yesterday
was only a shell of the person we loved.”
Fortunately, there were no more severe human injuries or fatalities during the tank rampage.
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