[psmith2.0]

Okay, that's weird.

Just saw, about 20 minutes ago, the aftermath of a guy who tried to steal gas from a local Conoco station. But he whips out into the road with the hose still attached, yanks it from the machine, shoots into the road and has a wreck with another car.

I'm fairly certain he's spending the night in the can: breaks a gas pump, flees without paying, causes a wreck.



Saw the commotion from a block away (I knew he was stealing the gas because I eventually went to the station for a beverage and asked one of the ladies there what happened...that Conoco was my destination, in fact...glad he didn't run into me!).

The police showed up very quickly (3-4, blues lights going). No one appears injured.

An older (70's?) car, quite big. It hit what looked like a more recent Honda or Toyota with two ladies inside.

I must've missed the actual crash by seconds, just coming over the hill where it took place. Lots of yelling and gesturing by all involved parties. I'd hate to be a policeman right now, dealing with all this.



Those crazy gas prices finally got to someone. It's a nutty enough story that it might make the local news this evening.

[Windowsrookie]

*note to self, take out hose first*

[psmith2.0]

That's the third time I've seen someone do that (leave the hose in and drive off). Once, the nozzle popped out of their car. But the other two times (today and about four years ago in SoCal), they yanked the hose out of the machine and proceeded on their way (the California one was an older man who simply forgot, bless his heart).

This guy today was a hardcase-looking character (why HE was yelling at the ladies he hit is anyone's guess...I'm sure, from the position of the cars, it was his fault).



He got put into the back of a police car as I was leaving the place, so I guess is day is wrapping up.



The manager at the Conoco was PISSED!

Theft, destruction of property, driving like Batman (without the good intentions), etc. Whatever the official charges wind up being, he'll have quite a few, I imagine. He strikes me as the type who's seen the inside of a jail cell a few times, so maybe it's no big deal to him.

[709]

It seems karma is a quick little bitch these days.

They passed a law here in Michigan a few years back where you'll lose your driving license for a year (I think that's right) for stealing gas. Honestly, I've never seen it happen.

[Windowsrookie]

How much was gas there?

[psmith2.0]

Just under $3 a gallon. I'm not sure which kind he used (but I assume if he's looking to not pay for it anyway, why not go for the gusto and get the good 93 octane stuff?).

Idiot (this guy, not you). He saves a few bucks on gas, but I'm sure his various fines and court costs will more than cancel that out.

A criminal genius, apparently. You read about them in books, but it's so rare you come across one in real life. Truly spinechilling, their level of intellect combined with such evil leanings.

I have to pass that station again on my way home this evening. I might stop in and see what else I can learn...

[Brad]

Originally Posted by 709 They passed a law here in Michigan a few years back where you'll lose your driving license for a year (I think that's right) for stealing gas. Honestly, I've never seen it happen.

We have the same sort of thing in NC. Although I'm not sure about the duration of revocation time, nearly all of the gas pumps in NC have a label on them warning of the consequences.

[zippy]

Originally Posted by 709 It seems karma is a quick little bitch these days. *snip*

And wouldn't the world be so much better if it were always like that?

[psmith2.0]

Yeah. We have little stickers here on the pumps (about 3x5 inches) of a highway patrol type (Smokey Bear hat, stern look, square jaw, etc.), with the accompanying type basically saying "it'll be your butt if you drive off without paying", then some smaller print at the bottom.

I guess this guy wasn't going for it.



Probably becoming a real problem these days, especially for these smaller, out-of-the-way gas stations with one old man or woman behind the counter. I could see people abusing that, but this was a modern, busy, multi-pump Conoco with lots of people around, 2-3 employees inside, etc.

He picked a lousy place to pull this stunt, that's for sure. Even if he didn't yank the hose off and didn't cause a wreck, it's still a busy gas station, located on a busy street (with a police station(!) only a few blocks away) and the employees have a straight, easy view of cars (and license plates) the entire time you're out there getting pumping gas. He would've been nailed anyway, I'm betting.

[Windowsrookie]

Gas is $1.89 here.

[psmith2.0]

Wow. Where is that? Oh, I see...Minnesota.

It's always around $2.79, $2.89 and $2.99 here (87, 89 and 93), sometimes a bit more, sometimes less. But it's been hovering in that general neighborhood for about 3-4 months now.

I'm not as "drive-y" this summer as I've been in previous ones (aimless weekend drives way out in the country backroads, spur-of-the-moment trips to Atlanta or Nashville to check out guitars and Apple stores or to visit friends, etc.).

[eventhorizon]

What kind of silly pumps do you have that let you get away without payment? All the ones around here don't even work until you've swiped a card or prepaid the attendant.

[LudwigVan]

Originally Posted by windowsrookie Gas is $1.89 here.

Oh, bullshit. The lowest I've seen--and I'm talking gasoline for automobiles here--is about $2.75 to $2.80.

[LudwigVan]

Originally Posted by eventhorizon What kind of silly pumps do you have that let you get away without payment? All the ones around here don't even work until you've swiped a card or prepaid the attendant.

The kind where you don't have to prepay. There are still areas in the US where this is common, Minnesota being one, though there appears to be the beginnings of a sea-change here in this regard.

[psmith2.0]

It wasn't until I moved to SoCal in late '93 that I encountered a total "pay before you pump" environment. The entire time I grew up here in Tennessee (and even now, in many places, having moved back three years ago) it's still the quaint old "pump your gas, go in and pay". That whole "honor system" thing, I guess...which is, no doubt, on its last legs.



I don't know...the lady I talked said he was "stealing gas", so however he did it, he was doing it. It's a modern station with modern credit card pumps, but who knows...

[SKMDC]

My wife took a pump with her in Cedar Falls, (IOWA!!) for months she would get an email with the picture of the VW driving with the pump still inserted to the tank.

But I quit sending them.

Gas in Chicago is down to $3.15 which is 11¢ cheaper than when I filled up Friday.

[drewprops]

Then there was the girl I worked with back around '94. We did a company move from metro Atlanta to Beaufort, South Carolina, for a month of working. On the way down she was part of a convoy of crew members. They all stopped for gas along the way and she observed the on-set carpenter setting his gas dispenser to 'lock' into place so that he didn't have to hold it, then going inside to pay once it had automatically stopped. She thought that was soooo amazingly cool that she did it too.

So there she is, driving down the road again. People are waving at her, she's thinking "wow, people sure are friendly". Of course she had the hose flapping along behind her car. I guess she drove back and gave it back to them.

A little while later she stopped for more gas.

And did it again.

Did I mention that she was an ardent pothead?

Anyway, she received the best nickname EVAR:

Hoser.