It started out like any other Wednesday in San Diego, business as usual for local merchants and residents, but May 17, 1995 is a day that would go down in history and forever be known as the day of the San Diego Tank Rampage.
Shawn Nelson was a plumber and former U.S. Army veteran from Utah who had been going through a difficult time. He was hospitalized in 1990 for neck and back injuries resulting from a motorcycle accident, but sued the hospital for $1.6 million, citing negligence, assault, battery, and false imprisonment, claiming that he had been treated without consent. A superior court judge threw out the case, opening the door for the hospital to contersue. In 1991 his wife of six years filed for divorce, and in 1992 both of his parents died of cancer. According to his brother, Shawn became addicted to methamphetamines during what was already a trying time, and neighbors began complaining of unusual behavior. His health problems, combined with the theft of plumbing equipment from his truck left him with no income and a house that was in foreclosure. The final straw may have been the death of his live in girlfriend in April of 1995. Nelson was ready to snap. His brother, Scott, said of him, “My brother was a good man. He'd help anybody. He just couldn't help himself.”
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