SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A video purporting to show a woman stealing gas right from the pump is going viral as $4.70 average per gallon prices were recorded in Sacramento Saturday, which is the highest ever for the area, according to AAA.
The video first appeared on TikTok. The person filming says this woman pulled the gas pump straight out of his car to fill her own canister shortly after they went inside the store.
"She's taking our gas that we literally just parked in front," the man said.
While ABC10 was not able to able to track down the original person who filmed it, employees at the ARCO on Walerga and Elverta roads in Antelope confirmed the incident happened at its location.
Two employees said the lady is a regular and disruptive visitor.
In the TikTok video below, the unidentified woman can be heard justifying her actions by saying, "I have a Porsche! I don't drive a f****ing piece of s***."
Customers, like Kristen Rolling, were disgusted by the video.
"I think that's totally ridiculous. We need gas in our tanks still. No matter if you got a Porsche, a Honda, a Nissan Altima, a Honda Civic, we still need our gas! Why would you take the gas out of the gas tanks? It's just common sense," Rolling said.
For a man who asked ABC10 not to film his face, he said he's been unable to afford gas too, but he'd rather be honest.
"I think it's dishonest what that lady is doing. I'm just trying to get a little help right now, and she's stealing it. And I'm just trying to survive you know," the man said.
For three days this week, he's stood at the same gas station with a red gas canister asking people for help to fill his truck tank. He said he's been struggling to make ends meet as he's in between jobs.
"That lady could be doing the same thing I'm doing. People have been generous and helpful lately," he said. "I hate to be here that many times. It's just hard."
With gas prices soaring, gas grifters are finding new schemes to cheat the pump. Last week, ABC10 shared this video of two men in Antelope switching gas nozzles to trick others into paying for the gas in their tank.
The gas nozzle switching scheme was reported to the sheriff's office, but authorities say they did not receive reports of people stealing straight from the pump.
Police say like with everything practice situational awareness when you are at the gas station.
