$4,500 in Gas Siphoned in Latest Calif. Pump Heist

When you drive through a gas station, you will notice a bunch of metal circles on the ground. Those are direct access to the HUGE gas containers underground. That's what those 18-wheeler gas tankers park over when refilling the gas containers.

If you have the right tools, you can open those things and siphon gas from them.

There was something on the news years ago where a truck pulling a trailer would drive over these things. The trailer was like a storage trailer (similar to those box-like trailers you rent from Uhaul). It had a trap door underneath that someone inside would open and connect a hose to a machine that pumps gas from under into barrels. It was all caught on video.
 
It kind of amazes me that people often go for crime that has so much risk. What I mean is that, stealing from a gas station is caught on video. Coming back to the scene of the crime multiple times, so often that the employees recognize them and write down their license plate number.

Or bank robbery. Have you noticed that no bank robber in the news ever gets away with more than perhaps 3 or 4 thousand dollars? Is 4 grand worth robbing a bank? It's not the large hauls of 50,000 or 100,000 that used to happen from bank robberies. Banks have wizened up. No one will get a lot of money from a bank hit anymore.

Convenience store hold-ups. Same thing. Is it worth sticking up a convenience store for $100?

These criminals are taking on an extraordinary amount of risk and jail time for such piddly amounts of money. Why? What's the point?

My gosh, a crappy job pays more than holding up a convenience store. A legitimate side-business making crafts for Etsy makes more than holding up a bank.

Why do people do this?
 
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