ok. the madness begins in DC. Man Drives Tractor Into Pond on Mall By Derrill Holly Associated Press Writer Monday, March 17, 2003; 6:59 PM Police were in a standoff Monday with a man they said drove a tractor into a pond near the Washington Monument and Vietnam Veterans Memorial shortly before noon. Police spokesman Scott Fear says they're negotiating with the man and hoping for a peaceful resolution, but that they have concerns about the contents of the tractor, as well as a Jeep that's also in the pond. Because of the incident, Metropolitan Police have closed the following roads until further notice. • Constitution Avenue, Northwest, shut between 15th and 23rd streets. • No traffic is allowed south of C Street NW along 19th and 21st streets. • D.C. Police advise drivers going south toward Virginia to use 23rd or 15th streets. They also recommend taking M Street to the Key Bridge. • East and westbound traffic should use Pennsylvania Avenue or H Street. A John Deere tractor could be clearly seen in a pond near the Reflecting Pool, in the area known as Constitution Gardens. The tractor was pulling a military-style Jeep and a trailer. The tractor became disconnected from the other vehicles, and the Jeep was partially submerged. The tractor had messages on its cab supporting veterans. "A very large John Deere tractor crashed into the water," said witness Ted Woynicz. "He was dressed in army fatigues, he had a helmet on with a Red Cross insignia on the front." The man, reportedly a tobacco farmer from North Carolina, was sitting in the cab of the tractor, which was in about three feet of water. He was playing recordings of military exercise cadences. The area was roped off with crime scene tape. "We have a dialogue going with the subject," said Fear. More than 100 law enforcement officers from the Park Police, D.C. Police, the FBI and the ATF are on the scene, and a Park Police helicopter circled overhead. City fire trucks and ambulances were also on the scene. The area is home to the Department of the Interior, the Organization of American States and the National Academy of Sciences. No buildings were evacuated.
How in the world did this guy get that close to the monument? Don't they have security at the monument? Especially after 9/11
They would have to have some pretty good sized barricades to impede that tractor. Stopping it with gunfire or something large like a tank are about the only other possibilities. The tractor is probably in the $100,00+ price range. Maybe substantially more than that. <center> </center>
i once caught gonorrea (i have no idea if i spelled that right!) from riding a tractor while wearing my bathing suit.
Almost all tractors are in the $100,000 price range. Ah, the plight of the farmer...have to buy hundreds of thousands of dollars in machinery to be screwed over by commondities brokers.
I haven't been down by that memorial for a while, but I think security would be relaxed in that area, and in all honesty a tractor like this might be able to wander unconfronted. It would probably be considered normal activity because of all the lawn care that goes on down there. It makes you realize how vulnerable we are. He could have easily been a terrorist. The White House is probably a good mile away. But it's not too far.
MadMax, Maybe your loved ones believe that, but the scientist in me won't! Was there another person on that tractor seat with you?
That's what the farmer's daughter told her pops, too! "I swear daddy! I never did nuthin' with that man! I caught the GONE-O-REA from the tractor seat!"
