Gas theft on the rise as prices soar

[peanutbutter12]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080527/ap_on_bi_ge/punctured_gas_tanks

DETROIT - Dale Fortin is getting a new kind of customer at his Detroit auto repair shop, customers who have not just been in a fender-bender or had a windshield smashed by a rock.


The soaring price of crude oil has turned gas tanks into a cache of valuable booty, and Fortin has replaced several tanks punctured or drilled by thieves thirsting for the nearly $4-a-gallon fuel inside.


"That's the new fad," said the co-owner of Dearborn Auto Tech in Detroit. "I'd never seen it before gas got up this high."


While gas station drive-offs and siphoning are far more common methods of stealing gas, reports of tank and line puncturing are starting to trickle into police departments and repair shops across the country.

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Obviously we knew it was going to happen. I just didn't think it would be this soon.

 

[IisJustMe]

This was going on in the poor sections of Denver before I came back here (Kansas City) after my dad's death a couple weeks ago. I haven't heard of it occurring around here yet, but I'm sure it will show up eventually. Thieves communicate success, or the media helps them out, one or the other.

 

[wiggsfly]

I want to see someone try to siphon off my tank for their car. I drive a diesel so the the end result could be hilarious.

 

[HannahBanana]

Doesn't surprise me one bit. I doubt many lower-class people can actually afford gas anymore, so this might be their only option, especially if they don't live near public transportation and if they don't own a bike.

 

[pgp_protector]

Doesn't surprise me one bit. I doubt many lower-class people can actually afford gas anymore, so this might be their only option, especially if they don't live near public transportation and if they don't own a bike.

Maybe I'm reading this wrong.
But are you actually saying that this stealing is a valid OPTION ?

 

[Ave Maria]

This is sad. Not only is it morally wrong but it also raises costs even higher.