UPDATE - the guy who stole the armored vehicle in Virginia last night

[underpants]

Long background story here.
http://www.richmond.com/news/local/crime/update-national-guardsman-from-richmond-charged-in-theft-of-armored/article_9d709b5b-89f3-5d34-8222-58789f8061f0.html


A Richmond soldier who filed paperwork earlier this year to run for the U.S. Senate and recently worked as a researcher at NASA was arraigned Wednesday morning in connection to the theft of an armored vehicle that led police on a bizarre 65-mile pursuit that ended in downtown Richmond near Capitol Square.

Authorities charged Joshua Phillip Yabut, a 29-year-old first lieutenant (company commander in the Petersburg-based 276th Engineer Battalion) in the Virginia Army National Guard, with driving under the influence of drugs, felony eluding of police and felony unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Filed to run against Sen. Kaine as an independent
Former cyber security researcher at NASA Langley (1 hour from here)
Helped develop the cryptocurrency ZenCash

“what i learned in the army is to never volunteer for anything with that being said im looking for a few volunteers”
“all i wanna do is get an anime wife”
“just received instructions from my local clergyman”
“where is this damn water buffalo” - military trailer that carries potable water
“wow i think i just discovered a large illegal spy operation in the us government”

The caption of the photo he shared of himself in what appears to be an armored vehicle is “wutang clan ain’t nothin to f--- wit booiiiiiiii” and he makes “W” hand sign in the image. Wu-Tang Clan is a popular hip-hop group from New York City.

[ProudLib72]

1. Add him to the stable of geniuses

[suffragette]

3. Reminds me of the soldier who stole a tank and went on rampage in Mannheim, Germany in 1982.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/07/11/stolen-us-tank-runs-amok-in-w-germany-hurting-4-people/cd622bb9-016f-45fb-9a0f-4bdf01c60061/?utm_term=.639cb8fe8ba8

A U.S. private stole an M60 battle tank yesterday and wreaked havoc on a wild drive through Mannheim before the 50-ton vehicle plunged into the Neckar River, trapping the driver, police reported.
~~~
The tank left a trail of destruction in the city's center, a grid of narrow streets. One unidentified American was slightly injured when he tried to jump on the tank and open the hatch, police said. Three other people were injured, one seriously. It crushed at least 10 parked cars and damaged several shops and houses.

The tank tore a hole three feet wide in the side of a streetcar filled with passengers, then ripped down power lines for the trolley network.

A police spokesman reported several auto accidents as frightened drivers tried to get out of the way of the tank. Damage was estimated at $500,000.

[ADX]

4. Just to be clear, that's NOT the Wu Tang sign...

...any Wu fan worth his or her salt knows that the sign is formed by crossing the thumbs of both hands, not the ring and middle fingers of one hand.

Just sayin'.

Wu Tang Forever!!!

[jberryhill]

5. Phillip Yabut?

Phillip Yabut? But I barely even know you.

[Zorro]

6. No wonder he's nuts

[Aristus]

7. It must have been the only vehicle he had access to.

The M-577 is on the official list of Least Threatening Armored Vehicles.

I crewed one for a little while when I was in the Army. I was actually trained as a tank crewman, so after driving this little pipsqueak, I'm still trying to live down the shame nearly thirty years later.

[underpants]

8. He was in a training excercise and just drove off

He's the commander of the company too.

I'm a Bradley man myself.

[Aristus]

9. What a way to make an exit...

It would be like Mario Andretti announcing his retirement by driving off in one of those pedal-driven kiddie cars.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. More biographical information:

CRAZY CHASE: Accused driver of tank-like vehicle is DePaul grad

By Chuck Goudie and Christine Tressel and Ross Weidner
Wednesday, June 06, 2018 09:28PM

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A soldier who was chased by police for more than 60 miles after they say he stole an armored personnel carrier from a National Guard base holds two degrees from DePaul University in Chicago, the ABC7 I-Team has learned.

Virginia state police say Joshua Philip Yabut, 29, has been charged with eluding police and unauthorized use of a vehicle. He is a former member of the Illinois National Guard and deployed with them to Afghanistan from 2008-2009.

Yabut graduated from DePaul University in Chicago in 2012 with an honors degree in information technology, according to university officials. While at DePaul he was apparently a member of the Army ROTC. In 2014 Yabut completed a master's degree program at DePaul in information technology project management.

The unarmed stolen vehicle, which drives on tracks like a tank, was stolen Tuesday evening from Fort Pickett and was chased by police for about two hours at speeds as high as 40 mph before the driver stopped and surrendered near Richmond's City Hall, state police said.

[Mc Mike]

11. I'd feel better about it, if he managed to also fly a D Rump flag from the APC.

[FSogol]

12. Just another Libertarian Nutjob. n/t