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2 men sought for gas station theft
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LATHROP — Police in Lathrop are on the lookout for two men who vandalized the Chevron Super-K on Lathrop Road last week during a brazen daytime theft. 

With a parking lot full of people and cameras pointing in their direction, two men drove up to the car wash, hooked up a cable to the coin box, and used their vehicle to pull it out of the ground – making off with whatever change had been inserted to pay for car washes that day. 

The theft cost the owner of the service station more than $18,000 to replace because of the electronics involved.

The two men, who made no attempt to obscure themselves from security cameras, hit the gas station on Sunday, June 25 at around 5 p.m. while customers at the gas islands and inside of the store heard the entire thing – commenting to a local television news station that the sound of the cable ripping the box from ground was like a loud “boom.”

The amount of money contained within the change box, which was equipped to take credit card payments, was believed to be minimal because the majority of customers pay for car washes either at the pump or inside of the store. 

The two men drove up to the gas station in a blue vehicle, and the surveillance footage has been turned over to local police to help identify the two culprits.

Anybody with information is encouraged to contact Lathrop Police Services at 209.858.5551. 

 

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.