‘Cannon on Tracks’ Stolen From Base in Colorado

A self-propelled, 30-ton Army artillery piece was stolen from Ft. Carson early Wednesday and driven about 70 miles along Interstate 25 before it ran out of fuel in Denver.

Two men inside, a young soldier and a civilian, were arrested, authorities said.

The 155-millimeter howitzer, “a big cannon on tracks,” was not carrying ammunition, said Sgt. John Millar, an Army public information officer at Ft. Carson, near Colorado Springs.

Post Notified

The incident began shortly after 1 a.m. when the post was notified that the vehicle, measuring 10.8 feet high and 10.3 feet wide, was moving on I-25 toward Denver, Millar said.

The $758,000 vehicle, which can fire shells weighing around 90 pounds, was traveling with small directional headlights that show up only faintly, Millar said.

Officers from the Colorado State Patrol “more or less escorted it to Denver to assure safe travel,” Millar said. The howitzer ran out of gasoline at an intersection in a residential neighborhood.

A woman who lives near the intersection, about six or seven miles from downtown Denver, called the incident scary.

“I always thought we had security in these United States. But anything can happen,” said Maria Pena. “You go to sleep, you wake up in the morning and find this thing right in front of your doorstep.”

Couldn’t Stop It

One officer at the scene said police decided to escort the vehicle because “it’s obvious we didn’t have the capability of stopping him.”

The two men arrested were identified as Army Pvt. John Clair, 19, an artillery crewman, and Roberto Torres, a civilian, Millar said. Both were being held at Lowry Air Force Base in nearby Aurora. No charges had been filed yet.