Key West, Florida – In a shocking turn of events, a golf course groundskeeper has been apprehended and charged with attempted murder after allegedly stealing a John Deere tractor and driving it onto a college campus with the intent to kill.
The incident occurred on May 4th in Key West, Florida, according to police reports. The suspect, identified as 22-year-old Ethan Lane, allegedly stole the tractor from his workplace, a local golf course. He then proceeded to drive it through a dormitory at the College of Florida Keys, intending to harm two individuals.
Police car with a shattered windshield and a damaged hood after being rammed by a stolen tractor.
Body camera footage obtained by Law & Crime captured the heart-stopping moments as law enforcement officers arrived at the scene. Upon their arrival, the officer wearing the body camera found himself in a perilous situation as the stolen tractor rammed his patrol car.
“21, that tractor is going to be on College Road. I believe it’s a green John Deere in the middle of the lane,” the officer can be heard saying in the video just moments before the impact. In response to the immediate threat, the officer discharged his firearm multiple times at Lane in an attempt to stop him.
As Lane attempted to escape, the officer pursued him, shouting, “Shots fired! Get on the ground! Shots fired!” The body camera footage captures the intense scene as the officer apprehended Lane, who can be heard tearfully apologizing and expressing remorse for his actions.
“I’m sorry. Sorry for what? You almost killed me! I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I hate so – Okay, well, that’s not the way to go about it, bro. I’m sorry. Did you get hit?” the officer responded.
Police officers apprehending a suspect on the ground near a damaged police car and a tractor.
Remarkably, despite the chaotic events and the use of firearms, no one sustained injuries during the tractor rampage and the subsequent shootout. “We have rescue staging. Is anyone injured?” an officer can be heard asking. “No injuries. You good?” another officer inquired. “Yeah, I’m fine. No injuries. You can send him anyway, just uh, to check on the patient just in case,” the responding officer confirmed.
The incident left a trail of destruction on the college campus. Before his apprehension, Lane allegedly plowed through the lobby of a dorm building, utilizing the tractor’s bucket attachment to inflict substantial damage on the overhead plumbing system.
His rampage continued as he targeted vehicles in the parking lot, overturning a truck and ramming another vehicle with a father and his four-year-old daughter inside. Fortunately, the father and his child managed to escape unharmed. Lane then allegedly aimed the tractor towards another car but the driver was able to evade the attack. His rampage finally came to an end with the police cruiser collision.
Lane is now facing numerous felony charges, including attempted murder, attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault, burglary, and grand theft. These charges carry severe penalties, potentially resulting in a life sentence in the state of Florida, according to legal experts.
A damaged white pickup truck with its rear end lifted off the ground after being rammed by a tractor.
Attorney and former prosecutor Melba Pearson commented on the bizarre nature of the case, stating, “This is definitely a very bizarre story. I have seen all manner of different ways that people have tried to harm and kill other people. Um, I would say it would be a first to see a case with this tractor here in Florida.”
Pearson further added, “If he’s convicted, he’s he’s looking at life just from the standpoint of all of these different charges together and the fact that these charges can be stacked at sentencing, meaning they can all be run consecutively.”
While the intended targets of Lane’s rampage remain unclear, his audible statement, “I wanted to kill them,” could be used by prosecutors as an admission of guilt.
Pearson elaborated, “I think that that statement would be considered and can be used as a confession basically because of the fact that number one, is this an action that a reasonable person would take, right? So you can’t use it from the standpoint of self-defense because he felt threatened so he had to react in a certain way.”
The investigation into this incident is ongoing, with authorities working to determine Lane’s motive and the extent of the damage caused. As of now, Lane is being held without bond at the Monroe County Detention Center and is scheduled to appear in court on May 17th. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is also conducting an independent investigation into the officer-involved shooting, as is standard procedure in such cases.
