Just when you thought you’ve seen everything
By Sherrif Ian Parkinson
In my 40 years of law enforcement experience, it’s fair to say I’ve seen my share of routine crimes, from burglaries to shoplifting to trespassing. But every now and then, something happens that causes you to pause for a minute and wonder what exactly just happened. Such was the case recently when what started out as a suspicious vehicle call turned into something much more than any of us could have imagined. So, under the heading of “just when you thought you’ve seen everything,” comes this story.
It all started when the Sheriff’s Office got a report about a suspicious vehicle parked off Los Osos Valley Road in Los Osos. The vehicle wasn’t your average car — it was actually the front portion of a military-style tractor-trailer. When deputies arrived to check it out, things took an unexpected turn. When deputies approached the driver regarding the lack of registration for the vehicle, the driver sped off into Montana de Oro State Park, even breaking through a gate. The vehicle finally ended up on Sandspit Beach, getting stuck in the sand. That’s when things got more bizarre. Deputies, Harbor Patrol, the Coast Guard, and State Park Rangers quickly set up a perimeter around the truck, hoping to resolve the situation peacefully.
But the driver wasn’t budging. The Sheriff’s Special Enforcement Detail (SED) was called in, and after more unsuccessful attempts to get the suspect to surrender, they had to eventually use tear gas. Finally, the driver gave up and was taken into custody.
At first, no one knew who the driver was, but he’s since been identified as 63-year-old Patrick Kevin VanNess from Los Angeles. And here’s where it gets really wild. Sheriff’s detectives discovered the vehicle was a stolen M1070 Heavy Equipment Transport, the kind that’s used to haul around M1 Abrams tanks for the U.S. military. This high-tech rig, worth over $500,000, was taken before it could be delivered from the manufacturer in Wisconsin to its military destination in Southern California. VanNess is facing charges for stealing this massive military vehicle.
The recovery of the vehicle was a challenge. The M1070 got stuck several times in the sand, but with help from California State Parks and the California Army National Guard, the vehicle was successfully removed from the beach the next day.
The Sheriff’s Office wants to extend a big thank you to everyone involved in the recovery effort. The investigation is still ongoing, and we’ll keep you posted if there are any new developments. In the meantime, we are still trying to figure out the motivations of the suspect.
This is an incident that started off as bizarre and got even more so as it unfolded. But it also shows you how things can quickly escalate to the point where it can endanger the safety of the public. That’s why I want to thank the deputies, SED team and everyone else who were involved in this incident for staying cool, calm, and collected, which resulted in a peaceful ending to this ordeal. That’s our goal for every incident we respond to, no matter how routine or just plain weird.
