On May 17, 1995, Shawn Nelson stole a 63-ton military tank from a National Guard armory in San Diego and used it to rampage through neighborhoods, only to be fatally shot by a police officer. His former wife, Suzy Hellman, blames Nelson's behavior on methamphetamine use as his life spiraled out of control. Nelson's parents had died by the early '90s, which caused his behavior to become impulsive. Hellman filed for divorce from him at around the same time, and, that very same year, he got into a motorcycle accident and injured his back. Shortly after that, Nelson's van and work tools were stolen, his utilities were shut off because he didn't pay the bills, and he was frequently high. When the bank began foreclosure proceedings on his house, he dug a 17-foot-deep shaft in his backyard and claimed to friends that he had struck gold. But it was a delusion—there was only the dirt below. Nelson finally hit rock bottom and found a way through an open gate at the armory at Mesa College Drive where he stole the M-60. He flattened utility poles, fire hydrants and cars with the tank before getting stuck on a road divider. Later, he was fatally shot by police.