On the Street

Video: Calif. Police Catch Man in Act of Drilling into Truck's Gas Tank

Oct. 1, 2024

Upland police arrested a suspect after an Ontario police helicopter spotted him in the act of drilling into the gas tank of a box truck in order to siphon its fuel.

Joe Vince

A California police helicopter caught a suspect Sunday trying to drill into a truck's gas tank in order to siphon gas.

The incident began when Upland police received a report about a possible catalytic converter theft, KABC-TV reports. A man with power tools was spotted under a box truck.

An Ontario police helicopter spotted the man outside the truck, but instead of trying to steal a catalytic converter, the man was drilling into the vehicle's gas tank. As officers approached the man, he fled in a vehicle.

Police arrested the suspect on felony charges, including vandalism and vehicle tampering. The suspect also had been on parole for a previous assault in Los Angeles.

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.