In the quiet mountain town of Granby, Colorado, a man named Marvin Heemeyer became increasingly frustrated with the local government over zoning disputes related to some properties he owned. After over a decade of clashes, he hatched a disturbing plan for revenge.
In 1992, Heemeyer purchased a parcel of land in Granby with the intention of opening up a muffler shop. However, he immediately ran into issues with the city government regarding the septic system on the property. The previous owner had illegally installed a makeshift concrete septic tank, and the city demanded that Heemeyer replace it with a proper sewer line at great expense. This began a bitter feud between Heemeyer and the local officials.
Things escalated further in 1999 when a concrete plant opened on the lot next to Heemeyer’s muffler shop. The owner of the plant was a man named Cody Docheff, who Heemeyer already harbored resentment towards. Heemeyer vehemently opposed the city approving the zoning for the concrete plant, but his protests were ignored. The plant was built despite his objections.
At this point, Heemeyer decided to get revenge on those he felt had wronged him. In 2003, he purchased a bulldozer and over the course of a year secretly outfitted it with layers of concrete and steel armor plating. He installed bulletproof glass, cameras, and compressed air nozzles. He essentially turned it into a homemade tank. He intended to use this makeshift tank to demolish the buildings of his enemies.
On June 4, 2004, Heemeyer put his plan into action. Just before 2 pm, he used the tank to plow straight through the wall of his muffler shop. He then crossed the road and began systematically demolishing Docheff’s concrete plant. The local police tried unsuccessfully to stop him, firing guns and even using bulldozers of their own against the tank. But nothing could halt Heemeyer’s armored vehicle.
Over the next couple of hours, Heemeyer piloted his tank through town, demolishing the homes and businesses of people he had grudges against, including the city hall and the local newspaper office. Swat teams and police desperately tried to take down the tank, but it seemed impervious to damage. At one point, Apache helicopters were even scrambled to try to stop the destruction.
The rampage finally ended when Heemeyer drove the tank into a local grocery store owned by a city council member and the tank became stuck in the basement. After a standoff with police that lasted nearly two days, Heemeyer took his own life inside the tank. In total, he had caused over $7 million in damage but miraculously did not injure anyone but himself.
In the aftermath, investigators learned the full extent of Heemeyer’s year-long planning for his revenge through tapes he had recorded. It painted a portrait of a troubled man who had isolated himself and become consumed by bitterness and paranoid delusions against his perceived enemies. In the end, his anger and desperation led to a level of destruction that shocked the nation.
The story of Marvin Heemeyer and his homemade tank of destruction will be long remembered as a cautionary tale on the dangers of unchecked rage, resentment, and isolation. It serves as a disturbing example of how far some will go when they feel marginalized and ignored by the society around them.
Things I Learned Last Night is an educational comedy podcast where best friends Jaron Myers and Tim Stone talk about random topics and have fun all along the way. If you like learning and laughing a lot while you do, you’ll love TILLN. Watch or listen to this episode right now!
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