Tractors are the most commonly used vehicles on farms in the United States.
But people sometimes use tractors for reasons other than farming.
And this Florida man’s wild tractor ride had college students and law-enforcement officers terrified for their lives.
A man named William Tuxford invented the first proper tractor in 1893.
The invention of the tractor made harvesting crops and working with animals significantly easier for farmers and is one of the most important forms of machinery in use today.
But people use tractors for more than farming.
They are often used in the field of engineering where they can be fitted with an array of tools like hoes, rippers, and buckets.
Since you do not need a license to drive a tractor, in some states people will use them for transportation after losing their driving privileges in a DUI or other illegal acts.
From snow removal to mowing grass, tractors are regularly used by nonfarmers.
But one Florida man recently used a tractor for one awful reason that had college students and law-enforcement officers in a state of panic.
Officers in Key West, Florida responded to a call about a man using his tractor to destroy cars and damage a building at a campus dormitory at the College of the Florida Keys.
When cops arrived on the scene, the man then used his tractor to attack the officers by ramming an occupied police vehicle.
“Upon police arrival, the tractor started ramming an occupied police vehicle,” Key West Police Department spokesperson Alyson Crean wrote in an email to the Miami Herald. “Shots were fired by Key West police.”
Ethan Robert Layne, a 22-year-old, damaged the dorm’s front entrance where the resident assistance usually sits.
“The Keys Weekly Newspapers published photographs on Facebook showing an overturned pickup truck, mangled metal door frames, and damaged windows,” Local10 reported.
Layne gave up his demolition after one of the police officers fired a shot from his gun.
Records show that he was working as a groundskeeper.
This would explain how he gained access to the tractor that he used to try and kill and injure potentially dozens of people.
Police arrested Layne and charged him with attempted felony murder.
But more charges are coming down the pipe ahead of his May 15 court hearing.
“The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are forthcoming,” police spokeswoman Alyson Crean said.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
