Standoff continues with man in tractor near Washington Monument
A partially submerged tractor sits in a pond near the Washington Monument in Washington on Monday.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A standoff between police and a man who drove a tractor into a pond between the Washington Monument and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial continued Tuesday, snarling rush-hour traffic and limiting access to some federal buildings.
Authorities closed streets in the area, several blocks from the White House. They said they were communicating with the man, who was wearing military fatigues and a helmet with a red cross on it. He was sitting in the cab of the tractor, which was in about three feet of water, and playing recordings of military exercise cadences.
Police declined to make the man's identity or motivation public, but The Washington Post quoted unidentified law enforcement sources as saying he was Dwight W. Watson, 50, a tobacco farmer from Whitakers, North Carolina, and claimed to be carrying explosives. The U.S. Park Police, FBI, ATF, Secret Service joined city police and blocked off much of the area around the National Mall.
"We've got a nice, safe perimeter set up and we're going to be patient with him," said Sgt. Scott Fear of the U.S. Park Police.
The tractor was in a pond near the Reflecting Pool, in the area known as Constitution Gardens. The tractor had been pulling a military style Jeep and a trailer, and the Jeep was partially submerged. The tractor had messages on its cab supporting veterans.
Police blocked intersections more than eight blocks away from the scene of the incident. The south annex of the Interior Department was closed and the Office of Personnel Management restricted access to the National Academy of Science and the Federal Reserve. Only pedestrians could approach the State Department.
The incident began about noon Monday.
