http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...2003Mar17.html
Man Drives Tractor Into Pond on Mall
By Derrill Holly
Associated Press Writer
Monday, March 17, 2003; 4:30 PM
Traffic in the West End is snarled this afternoon, as police have closed some streets after a man drove a tractor into a pond near the Washington Monument and Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Police were unclear of the man's motives. Reporters were kept at a distance, with authorities saying they were concerned about the possibility the man could have explosives.
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 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 Sgt. Scott Fear, a spokesman for the U.S. Park Police, which was handling the situation. FBI agents and officers from the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Dept. were also on hand, and a Park Police helicopter circled overhead. City fire trucks and ambulances were also on the scene.
As the afternoon rush hour was about to begin, several roads in the area were shut. The closures affected streets which serve as commuter routes leading from downtown Washington to the suburbs of Virginia.
Police have closed Constitution Avenue NW between 15th and 23rd streets, and drivers on 19th and 21st streets NW cannot go south of C Street. Police urged Virginia-bound drivers are being urged to take M Street NW to the Key Bridge.
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.
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At first I thought this guy drove into it by accident when I heard it on the radio. They would just help him out and everything would blow over. But now he's having a standoff with the police. Ugh...shoot him.