Browsing: Crime

A Brief History On May 17, 1995, San Diego, California was the scene of one of the oddest and perhaps the scariest police chase of a stolen vehicle in the annals of motor vehicle theft.  Shawn Timothy Nelson, a 35 year old US Army veteran stole a National Guard M-60A3 tank, a 63 ton metal monster boasting a 105mm main gun, two machine guns, a 750 horsepower engine, and as much as 10 inch thick armor. Digging Deeper Nelson’s time in the Army was marred by his “‘multifaceted’ disciplinary problems” which resulted in his discharge.  He became a plumber but…

Read More

A Brief History On May 14, 1943, the Australian hospital ship AHS Centaur was torpedoed and sunk by Japanese Imperial Navy submarine I-177.  Sadly, 268 of the 332 crew and civilians aboard along with 63 of the 65 Australian Army personnel aboard the ship died. Digging Deeper Centaur was clearly marked in accordance with International Red Cross protocol, painted white and showing large red crosses on the hull. She was also fully illuminated when attacked. Built in Scotland in 1924, Centaur was originally a combination refrigerated cargo and passenger liner that was turned over to the Australian military in 1943…

Read More

A Brief History On May 11, 1812, the lobby of the British House of Commons was the scene of an unprecedented and as yet not repeated historical event, the assassination of a British Prime Minister. Digging Deeper Spencer Perceval had been Prime Minister since October of 1809, representing the Tory party.  Previously he had served as an MP, Solicitor-General, Attorney General, and Chancellor of the Exchequer, the only British politician to hold those offices and then become Prime Minister. On the fateful day, Perceval was shot in the chest by a single pistol round fired by John Bellingham, a British…

Read More

A Brief History On May 10, 1899, a farmworker in Finland hacked seven people to death with an axe, proving once again that murderers do not necessarily need a firearm to inflict mayhem on the innocent public. Digging Deeper Karl Emil Malmelin, 27 years old at the time, was working on a farm in Klaukkala, Finland, when his offer of marriage was rebuffed by a young lady, the daughter of the property owner.  Not one to take no for an answer, Karl proceeded to kill everyone on the farm, which included two men, three women, and two children. Although convicted…

Read More

A Brief History On May 2, 2011, American military Special Forces carried out a surprise raid on the Abbottabad, Pakistan compound where Al Qaeda leader and mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States, Saudi Arabian Osama bin Laden, had been hiding. Digging Deeper At the time of the terrible crimes committed on September 11, 2001, the President George Bush vowed that Osama bin Laden and others responsible for the attacks would be found, “Dead or Alive” and brought to justice.  President Bush never did “get his man,” but President Barack Obama authorized the raid into the third-party…

Read More