At about 1 o'clock in the morning on January 13th, I heard tanks and armored vehicles driving along Cosmonaut Prospect towards the TV tower. Vehicles were driving around them with their sirens on. I ran to the tower. The first tanks came from the direction of Cosmonaut Prospect and stopped. They began to shoot and emit smoke. We were standing farther away, so at first we didn't realize that it was only smoke and not poisonous gas. The wind was blowing towards the TV tower and the surrounding buildings. The people didn't retreat - they just covered their faces with their scarves. About ten policemen stood in the front by the gallery, shielding the people. They had only rubber sticks, but they held their ground calmly. Suddenly we heąrd the roaring of tanks and armored vehicles. As they came closer, they opened fire. One guy, running towards the tanks, shouted: „People, don't be afraid! Let's go and block the road - they won't drive over people!" There was already a small group of people in front of a sand truck which had been blocking the road, and many more were running there. I was standing on the outskirts on a small slope. The first tank fired twice and started driving over the people gathered by the sand truck. lt was pushing the people towards the sand truck. The people that had been on the outskirts stepped back. I‘ll never forget one scene: a strong, broad-shouldered man was standing in the center of the street. A tank shoved him into a sand truck and he was pushed up high - I can't say if he was on the front of the tank or on the sand truck. Then there was the sound of a truck being crushed and the man disappeared. I didn't see him among the wounded. The firing tanks turned left, and began to surround the tower.
I can stand witness to God and the people: up until the first people were crushed near the sand truck, not one stone or snowball was thrown at the tanks. Not a word can be said about armed resistance. Not even a single offensive word was said.
Once the tanks had surrounded the tower, I returned home. For a long time -until about 5:30 - there were announcements over the loudspeaker: „Brothers and sisters of Lithuania! We, the leaders of the workers and the intelligentsia..." This was interrupted with series of gun fire and individual shots in the tower. Judging from the duration of the shooting, we were convinced that none of the defenders in the tower could have been left alive.
Lithuania, 1991.01.13 : documents, testimonies, comments. - Vilnius : State Publishing Center, 1992, p. 101-102.