(msnbc)
GRANBY, Colo. - A man barricaded inside a metal-fortified bulldozer went on a rampage through this mountain town Friday, firing numerous shots and knocking down buildings as he plowed through the streets.
Authorities had no immediate reports of injuries.
The siege appeared to halt when the bulldozer became stuck in the rubble of a warehouse. Authorities clambered on top of the machine, apparently trying to talk to the man inside. His condition was unknown.
County Emergency Manager Jim Holahan said the bomb squad from nearby Jefferson County was also on the scene. Radio reports said there were concerns that the vehicle might be booby-trapped.
‘He’s got gun turrets’
The scene was chaotic as the man rumbled through Granby, about 50 miles west of Denver. Witnesses said the man fired several shots and took out trees, a light pole, a wall of the library and part of a new bank building.
Grand County Manager Lurlene Curran said she heard there was heavy damage to six or seven buildings, including the town hall, a newspaper office and a construction business. The bulldozer was reported to have been flipped over in a hardware store that it barreled into late Friday afternoon as police fired high-powered weapons at it.
Scott Schaffer, a witness, told NBC affiliate KUSA-TV of Denver that bullets could not penetrate the homemade armor plating, which appeared to have been welded onto a large tracked Caterpillar tractor.
“It is completely armored,” Schaffer said. “There is no way to get to it.”
“Think of the biggest bulldozer you’ve ever seen in your life, completely covered up in steel,” Schaffer said. “He’s got gun turrets. ... He’s even got the tracks covered up.”
Authorities said they did not know of any injuries, but local resident Julie Cockrell said ambulances were rushing to the scene. KUSA reported that police were evacuating residents by calling them through the 911 emergency system.
“We’ve got cars backed up all the way ... east of Granby,” she said. Smoke was visible over the city, and helicopters hovered overhead.
Care to avoid any injuries
Holahan identified the man as Marvin Heemyer. KUSA reported that Heemyer had had a property dispute with the city for the past three years.
Bakery owner Ian Dougherty said the driver was upset that a concrete plant had been built close to his business. The driver, Dougherty added, “went out of his way” not to harm anyone.
State Patrol Maj. Jim Wolfinbarger said officers told him the driver had aimed his weapon at propane tanks. Gov. Bill Owens alerted the National Guard and was prepared to send troops to the town if requested, but local authorities had not asked for that help, said Dan Hopkins, a spokesman for Owens.
The bulldozer also knocked out natural gas service to City Hall and a cement plant, damaging a truck and part of a utility service center, said Mark Stutz, a spokesman for Xcel Energy.
Granby is a town of about 2,200 at nearly 8,000 feet. It is near the Winter Park ski resort and not far from the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park.
The scene was reminiscent of a 1998 rampage in Alma, another town in the Colorado Rockies. Authorities said Tom Leask shot a man to death, then used a town-owned front-end loader to heavily damage the town’s post office, fire department, water department and town hall.
