The gas tank bandit is striking again. Somebody is drilling holes in gas tanks to steal fuel.
Last month, we told you about seven separate cases in Sioux Falls, all on the west side of the city. Police are seeing the destructive method again this week, all in the same part of town.
"This vehicle came in, got towed in this morning. It's got a hole in the gas tank. It appears somebody drilled a hole in it and stole the gas out of it," All Tune and Lube owner, Chad Kooiman, said.
This is the first time All Tune and Lube has seen a case vandalism like this in their shop, but it's nothing new for the southwest side of Sioux Falls.
"Somebody's getting pretty desperate to get gasoline," Kooiman said.
While the vandals are getting away with about $20 to $30 worth of fuel, the owners of the vehicles are left with a much larger bill.
"Like a fuel tank on this vehicle is about $900, parts and labor on a new one. A used one will probably be about half of that, $450 or somewhere in there," Kooiman said.
On top of being a pricey fix, the driver is also left without a vehicle for at least a couple of days.
"We're going to have to remove and replace the whole gas tank. We're just waiting on insurance and customer ok on that," Kooiman said.
It's still not known who is behind these thefts, but one thing is pretty clear to Kooiman.
"It's sad that somebody's gotta steal the gas and ruin somebody else's day," Kooiman said.
If you have any information on these thefts, you are asked to contact the police or Crime Stoppers at 367-7007.
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