Drunk Man Invades Polish Town Driving A Soviet T-55 Tank
Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2019 6:11 am
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sun-men/931534 ... -t55-tank/
A drunk 49-year-old man was arrested last night after being found driving a 36-tonne Soviet T-55 tank through the streets of the small town of Pajęczno.
The tank has now been impounded by the police
According to Polish newspaper Twoje Pajęczno, the unnamed driver, 49, was only responsible for putting the tank on and off its trailer. But the trailer broke and, when it was being repaired, he drunkenly decided to take the war machine out on a joyride.
By the time the cops arrived, he had parked the 40-ton machine, which was uninsured, on the main street and was standing nearby. Another man, believed to be his passenger, was also present.
It's not clear if the muddled motorist caused any permanent damage to Mickiewicza Street but he was arrested and, once he sobered up, questioned by police. He faces up to eight years in prison if charged with creating "direct danger of a catastrophe in the land, water or air traffic," or two years for driving under the influence.
Located about 200 miles from Warsaw, Pajęczno has less than 7,000 residents.
The armored vehicle had to sit until 5 am the following morning when an ex-soldier who knew how to operate it could come to load it onto a tow truck and take it to a guarded parking lot.
Introduced shortly after WWII, T-54s and T-55s became the go-to tanks for armored army divisions belonging to the Soviets, Warsaw Pact nations and other countries. The most-produced tanks in military history, they've been involved in many armed skirmishes since the 1950s and '60s. The T-55 is reportedly easier to operate than comparable tanks designed in the West and does not require a high level of training or education.
Last year, a Russian man was nabbed after stealing an armored personnel carrier and riding it through the front of a local supermarket.
According to RIA Novosti, the man stole the tank-like vehicle, which uses threads, from a military driving school near his home in Apatity, just south of the Arctic Circle, in January 2018. He drove the juggernaut through town, badly damaging a parked car before smashing into the grocery.
The store was reportedly not licensed to sell alcohol that early in the day.
A drunk 49-year-old man was arrested last night after being found driving a 36-tonne Soviet T-55 tank through the streets of the small town of Pajęczno.
The tank has now been impounded by the police
According to Polish newspaper Twoje Pajęczno, the unnamed driver, 49, was only responsible for putting the tank on and off its trailer. But the trailer broke and, when it was being repaired, he drunkenly decided to take the war machine out on a joyride.
By the time the cops arrived, he had parked the 40-ton machine, which was uninsured, on the main street and was standing nearby. Another man, believed to be his passenger, was also present.
It's not clear if the muddled motorist caused any permanent damage to Mickiewicza Street but he was arrested and, once he sobered up, questioned by police. He faces up to eight years in prison if charged with creating "direct danger of a catastrophe in the land, water or air traffic," or two years for driving under the influence.
Located about 200 miles from Warsaw, Pajęczno has less than 7,000 residents.
The armored vehicle had to sit until 5 am the following morning when an ex-soldier who knew how to operate it could come to load it onto a tow truck and take it to a guarded parking lot.
Introduced shortly after WWII, T-54s and T-55s became the go-to tanks for armored army divisions belonging to the Soviets, Warsaw Pact nations and other countries. The most-produced tanks in military history, they've been involved in many armed skirmishes since the 1950s and '60s. The T-55 is reportedly easier to operate than comparable tanks designed in the West and does not require a high level of training or education.
Last year, a Russian man was nabbed after stealing an armored personnel carrier and riding it through the front of a local supermarket.
According to RIA Novosti, the man stole the tank-like vehicle, which uses threads, from a military driving school near his home in Apatity, just south of the Arctic Circle, in January 2018. He drove the juggernaut through town, badly damaging a parked car before smashing into the grocery.
The store was reportedly not licensed to sell alcohol that early in the day.