Looking back at the time a guy in Granby turned a bulldozer into a tank

Fifteen years ago today, a man with a grudge over a zoning dispute decided to build a tank out of a bulldozer and use it to destroy more than a dozen buildings in Granby.

On June 4, 2004, Marvin Heemeyer ended his own life after a rampage through the streets of Granby in a bulldozer that was outfitted with steel, concrete, and slots for firearms. The infamous event has been glamorized online in recent years and a documentary on the ordeal is slated for a release next year.

It started when the town’s trustees and zoning commission approved a deal that would let a concrete batch plant be built on land that was adjacent to Heemeyer’s shop. Heemeyer had agreed to a deal to sell the land but had an issue when the plans for the plant blocked access to Heemeyer’s shop.

Heemeyer appealed the zoning commission’s decision to approve the plan but was unsuccessful. It would turn out that he harbored his frustration for more than a year while he built the bulldozer into a tank.

According to notes found by investigators after the rampage, Heemeyer took about a year and a half to convert the Komatsu D355A bulldozer. He noted that it was “interesting” he was never caught, despite several people visiting the shed where he was building the armor.

Heemeyer originally bought the bulldozer to build an easement that would allow access to his property, however, he was denied a permit to do so.

He took the bulldozer and covered the cabin, engine, and tracks with armor plating that consisted of concrete in between sheets of steel. He used video cameras and screens to see outside of the cabin and installed three portholes for guns.

The first Friday of June in 2004, Heemeyer plowed the bulldozer through the wall of his shop, tore through the concrete plant, and significantly damaged the Granby Town Hall, the local newspaper, and several other buildings. A total of 13 buildings were damaged, costing about $7 million.

Investigators found that all of the damaged buildings were owned by people who had a connection to Heemeyer’s grievances.

Police said Heemeyer also fired a rifle at power transformers and propane tanks and also fired upon several responding officers.

The town of fewer than 2,000 people was under siege, and bullets fired by police did no damage to the vehicle. A flashbang grenade was dropped into the bulldozer’s exhaust, but it didn’t stop it. An officer tried to ride the top of the bulldozer and find a way in but eventually had to jump off.

According to reports, then-Colorado Gov. Bill Owens discussed calling in the National Guard to destroy the bulldozer.

After about two hours, a break in the incident came with a breakdown in the tank.

As Heemeyer drove the vehicle through the Gambles hardware store, its engine failed and one of its treads fell into a small basement area. The tank was unable to move, and SWAT officers surrounded the cabin.

One of the officers reported hearing a gunshot from inside the cab, and it was later found that Heemeyer shot himself in the head. He was the only person killed during the rampage.

After multiple attempts with explosions, it took a cutting torch to remove the armor plating and retrieve Heemeyer’s body early on June 5.

Investigators later found notes outlining Heemeyer’s grievances over the zoning dispute and several other targets. In one recording, Heemeyer is heard saying “I think God will bless me to get the machine done, to drive it, to do the stuff that I have to do.”

These days, Heemeyer’s story continues to be shared online — its popularity ebbs and flows with viral trends and many have proclaimed him to be a cult hero. If you search the term “Killdozer” on Google, Heemeyer’s smiling face is prominently displayed, followed by pictures of his infamous tank.

A documentary entitled “Tread” delved into Heemeyer’s past and the rampage itself, but the story could easily be confused as fiction.