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Authorities in San Jose, California have apprehended the sibling of the late NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman following an unusual incident where a vehicle crashed into a post office on Sunday morning.
Richard Tillman was detained on Sunday and is currently held without bond, according to the information on the Santa Clara jail’s website. As of Sunday afternoon, a formal charge had not been provided.
A report from NBC Bay Area indicates that Richard, who is Pat’s younger sibling, is being accused of ramming his car into a local post office while broadcasting the event live.
Officers reportedly discovered a burning vehicle crashed into the post office on the 6500 block of Crown Boulevard at around 3am. The fire spread to the rest of the building, although no injuries were reported.
Pat Tillman famously abandoned his NFL career to join the US Army at the onset of then-President George W. Bush’s War on Terror in 2002.
After deployments in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Tillman was killed in a friendly fire incident in April of 2004 near the Pakistan border.
A car, allegedly driven by Richard Tillman, crashed into a post office in San Jose
Richard Tillman, the brother of Cpl. Pat Tillman, raises a toast with a glass of Guiness, as he speaks at a memorial service for his Tillman, who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2004
Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman (40) on the field during pre-season training camp held on the campus of Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff in 1998.
Tillman would be used in Operation Iraqi Freedom, but was later returned to Afghanistan in 2004, where it was originally reported that he was killed by enemy combatants.
The Army initially claimed that the unit was ambushed near the Pakistani border, but subsequent investigations later revealed that he was the victim of friendly fire. An Afghan Militia Force allied soldier was killed in the incident and Tillman’s platoon leader and another soldier were also wounded.
A Criminal Investigation Command report from 2007 described the incident, explaining that Tillman’s portion of his platoon had backtracked to give fire support to the platoon’s other half, which had been ambushed.
‘[Tillman’s portion of the platoon] dismounted their vehicles and moved on foot, to a more advantageous position to provide overwatch and fire support for [the other portion’s] movement out of the ambush,’ the report read.
‘Upon exiting the gorge, and despite attempts by [Tillman’s portion of the platoon] to signal a ‘friendly position’, occupants of the lead vehicle of [the other portion] opened fire on Tillman’s position, where he was fatally shot.’
The smoldering vehicle is seen inside the post office. No injuries were reported to authorities
Richard Tillman, Pat Tilman, Sr. and Mary Tilman during 2003 ESPY Awards
Richard made headlines at Pat’s funeral in 2004 by reminding attendees that his brother was an atheist.
‘Just make no mistake, he’d want me to say this: He’s not with God, he’s f***ing dead, he’s not religious. Thanks for your thoughts, but he’s f***in’ dead.’
Richard is a standup comedian in California and has appeared in several movies, including a 2008 remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still. He has also written a series of children’s books.
In addition to ESPN’s Arthur Ashe Courage Award in 2003, Pat Tillman was posthumously awarded the Army’s Silver Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, and the Army Achievement Medal, among other honors.
The Pac 10 Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award is now named for Tillman, who earned the honor himself at Arizona State in 1997.
