GARDENDALE, Texas — During the incident at the Wagner Noel Performance Art Center on Friday, an individual took a front-end loader tractor and ran over police cars and drove on the highway.
But, how easy is it to take one of these tractors?
According to Tino Vuelvas Jr., owner of F. Vuelvas Trucking Inc., some operators leave their keys inside the cabs of their tractors or even in the ignition.
“It happens a lot more than you think and, well, we haven’t had too many incidents in this area," Vuelvas Jr. said. "So I think this might be a big change and people might stop doing that possibly.”
There are also different models of tractors to choose from. Older models use keys that can be put into the ignition.
Newer models, however, are more complicated, requiring a code to be put into a keypad in order to fire up the tractor.
"Your newer ones [have] the digital pads. You have to enter a sequence of numbers, and then hit the enter, then it starts and then it has a process of how you would be able to move it after you put in the numbers," Vuelvas Jr. said. "Then you would have to unlock a certain type of brake and then be able to use the hydraulic system.”
As for the operation itself, it isn't that complicated, but older models tend to be more simple.
“I think the older model would be a lot easier, only due to the fact that you need more of a code to start this newer version of this equipment," Vuelvas Jr. said.
While anyone can drive a tractor, it’s the experience of the driver that determines how well it is driven.
According to Vuelvas Jr., there’s a good chance the operator of the stolen tractor at Wagner Noel wasn’t exactly forklift certified, based on the videos he saw and conversations he had with other operators.
“The man was driving down the 191 I believe with a bucket in the air. Any type of experienced operator would’ve had their mass lower due to the center of gravity," Vuelvas Jr. said. "So that kind of told me that he wasn’t really experienced, that would usually cause a tip over or rollover.”