SAN DIEGO — San Diego County Sheriff's deputies arrested a 19-year-old man on Monday for allegedly stealing more than $42,000 worth of gasoline from a Lincoln Acres gas station over several months. Andrew Escobedo was taken into custody while allegedly in the process of filling tanks in the back of an SUV with stolen gas at the Chevron station located at 1999 Sweetwater Road. According to detectives, Escobedo had been visiting the station at least twice a week since June.
He allegedly manipulated the gas pumps using a credit card to indicate the pump was in use, but the transactions were never charged. "It's crazy that he got that much gas before anyone noticed," said Ruben Sheppard, a customer at the gas station.
The theft went unnoticed for months, with employees only alerting the sheriff's department last month after reviewing surveillance footage. They observed the same vehicle present during each unauthorized transaction.
Patrick Grieb, another customer, joked about the situation: "He should share... I could use some." The district attorney's office confirmed that Escobedo was arrested on one count of felony grand theft. It remains unclear if he could be linked to other fuel thefts in the area, including a recent incident in Otay Mesa where $16,000 worth of diesel was stolen.
Authorities have not disclosed where the stolen gas was distributed or how much has been recovered. Escobedo was released on $20,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned on December 9th.