Gas thief caught on video stealing buckets of gas from Illinois car dealership

HAZEL CREST, Ill. (WLS) – Rising gas prices has some thieves targeting dealerships to steal fuel, causing thousands of dollars in damage.

One location in Illinois was hit three times last week, and the thieves were caught on security video.

Video from a surveillance camera shows a man entering the I-80 Auto Sales lot in the morning hours, drilling holes in car gas tanks and carrying buckets of gas away.

Gas can be seen leaking from a truck after the man left with buckets in hand.

“We were mad, you know. We were mad,” auto group owner Alan Takruki said. “We do not like the way they do it. It’s crazy.”

Takruki said the man was targeting the big trucks because they’re higher and he could use the bucket underneath them.

Takruri said he filed a police report on Wednesday after the second time it happened, but there has still been no luck in finding or stopping the suspect.

“I feel sympathy for somebody risking his life just for $10 or $20 of gas,” Takruki said. “That’s bad.”

While the owner recognizes gas prices are surging right now, he said the way the suspect is handling it is not the way to go.

“Gas is expensive but still he cannot damage cars for $10,” Takruki said. “That costs us maybe thousands of dollars just to repair them.”

Although he already has several surveillance cameras already, he plans on adding more.

“We want to keep our business rolling with no problems,” Takruki said.

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