Thieves stole thousands of gallons of diesel fuel from a Far North Dallas convenience store on May 4. The theft occurred at The Local Shoppe Exxon, located at the tollway and Spring Valley.
Surveillance video showed a man opening the front of a gas pump at the store. For approximately six hours, two vehicles returned to the station, getting more fuel each time, making for a massive loss of thousands of gallons of fuel and dollars for the store.
According to FOX 4, Brad Gaultney with The Local Shoppe said that the theft was carried out over 11 trips.
“They came back and forth and stole a little bit at a time,” Gaultney said.
Gaultney explained that he and other staff were alerted by the reduction of fuel on tank monitors.
“We got some alerts on our tank monitors that monitor the tank inventory, and we saw that gas was coming down a lot faster than it should,” he said.
When they checked the surveillance video, they noticed the same two vehicles kept returning to the pump stealing diesel each time.
No suspects have been identified, but a white pickup truck and a dark-colored SUV have been connected to the theft. Officials believe that the suspects are experienced thieves as they know how the pumps operate.
According to Gaultney, 5,000 gallons of diesel fuel were stolen. At $5.25 per gallon, that equates to more than $25,000.
While Gaultney said that fuel theft has been going on for years, he added that the frequency has gone up due to the increase in gas prices. In March, AAA warned that gas theft from cars and companies would increase as prices soared.
