Shawn Nelson (1959)

Nelson Shawn Nelson

Shawn Nelson, a former National Guardsman, was a deeply troubled man who had suffered unemployment, divorce, alcoholism, and drug abuse. On May 17th, 1995, Nelson finally snapped, went to a local armory and stole a Vietnam-era M-60 tank. He then proceeded to go on a six-mile wave of destruction, mowing down parked vehicles, fire hydrants, and utility poles. Fortunately, no people were injured, and the tank itself had no live rounds. He soon found himself in the company of police cars, and he led them onto a freeway, where he got the tank stuck on a concrete highway divider. The cops surrounded the tank, opened the hatch with bolt-cutters, and opened fire on Nelson. He was only 35.