Tractor Incident Causes Commuter Mayhem

WTOP learned the man was a tobacco farmer who is angered about cuts in government subsidies. U.S. Park Police say they know the man's identity, but are not releasing his name.

"A very large John Deere tractor crashed into the water," said witness Ted Woynicz. "He was dressed in army fatigues, he had a helmet on with a Red Cross insignia on the front."

The man was sitting in the cab of the tractor, which was in about three feet of water. He was playing recordings of military exercise cadences. The area was roped off with crime scene tape.

"We have a dialogue going with the subject," said Sgt. Scott Fear, a spokesman for the U.S. Park Police, which was handling the situation. FBI agents and officers from the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Dept. were also on hand, and a Park Police helicopter circled overhead. City fire trucks and ambulances were also on the scene.

As the afternoon rush hour was about to begin, several roads in the area were shut. The closures affected streets which serve as commuter routes leading from downtown Washington to the suburbs of Virginia.

The area is home to the Department of the Interior, the Organization of American States and the National Academy of Sciences. No buildings were evacuated.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)