A 19-year-old man suspected of stealing thousands of dollars worth of gasoline from a station in an unincorporated area surrounded by National City was taken into custody Monday.
Andrew Gerardo Escobedo was found on Monday at approximately 11:30 a.m. inside a GMC Yukon while filling it with gas at the Chevron station in the 1900 block of Sweetwater Road in Lincoln Acres, according to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office.
“Employees informed investigators that Escobedo had been visiting the station at least twice a week since June, stealing an estimated $2,000 worth of gasoline each time,” the department said in a statement.
Sheriff’s officials said that gas station staff had been working with Chevron’s information technology department to tackle ongoing fuel thefts, tracking fuel consumption that did not align with the daily sales figures.
After further investigation, they discovered that Escobedo had manipulated the gas pumps by using a credit card, tricking the fuel system into thinking the pump was in use, even though the transactions were never completed.
Escobedo was arrested and booked on suspicion of grand theft. During the arrest, deputies discovered several large plastic containers inside the Yukon, some of which contained gasoline.
Sheriff’s officials estimated that Escobedo may have stolen about $42,000 worth of gasoline.
The investigation into the thefts is continuing.
City News Service contributed to this report.
