Station owner shoots at two for stealing gas

[Sportcat]

I feel for the owner, but it was a bad move.

http://www.wltx.com/news/news19.aspx?storyid=37387

Station Owner Arrested over Gas Drive-off

(Georgetown County, SC) - Investigators arrested a gas station owner after they say he took matters into his own hands and shot at two people who had driven off without paying for their gas.

It happened around 4 p.m. Wednesday at Cooper's @ 6 Mile convenience store in Andrews.

Deputies say the two men, Joshua Jennings, 18, of Gray Court, and Jacob Skelly, 18, of Fountain Inn, pumped $28.31 in gas and then drove off.

The station's owner, Dennis Cooper, then took off after the two. Investigators say Cooper shot at the men with a .45 automatic weapon. One of the shots struck the men's car, knocking out the back glass. Investigators say that when the men stopped their car, Cooper held them at gunpoint until deputies arrived.

Skelly suffered head injuries from the glass and was taken to the hospital. Jennings was not injured and was arrested along with Cooper.

All three were booked into the Georgetown County Detention Center.

Cooper is charged with two counts of Assault & Battery with Intent to Kill for firing at the two men.

Jennings and Skelly were charged with Failure to pay for Gasoline.

 

[SolaScriptura139]

Yeah, bad move. Shooting near gas pumps isn't so hot an idea either.

Cooper is charged with two counts of Assault & Battery with Intent to Kill for firing at the two men.

He's going to go to jail for a longer time than the other two guys. It's pretty sad when people are willing to shoot someone over $28 worth of gas.

 

[V4Vendetta]

Let me get this straight. The owner shoots at 2 guys for $28.31 worth of gas that he was probably gouging people on ?! Even if the owner wasn't gouging, you still shouldn't shoot at somebody over a little gas. If the 2 guys were shooting back, then by all means return fire.

I had a attempted robbery at my store a while back. It was just a $9 filter. We caught him taking it to his truck & made him return it & never come back. Even if I hadn't caught him, I wouldn't have plugged him for it . I would have like to have had a gun just in case he or the 2 muscular guys he was with started something, but as it was at the end of the day, we had caught the perp & everyone was safe. No injuries to anybody. That's what counts.

 

[mp510]

V4, Best point I have ever heard you make However, I believe you may be a little bit off on the gas gouging, but we'll leave that to the L&P forum

The shop keep deserves whatever penalty he gets. He has a reckless disregard for human life and the law. People like him give law abiding gun owners a bad name. It is folks like him that the Brady Campaign refer to when they say we are trying to get murder legalized through no-liability self defense laws.

 

[ball3006]

I wonder which gun he used.....

a Thompson, MAC 10, etc........."a 45 automatic weapon".......chris3

 

[shortydog]

maybe if people were allowed to use deadly force there would not be as much crime.

there was a time that a man was hung by a rope for horse thieving.

 

[rab357]

Well...

He should not have shot at them. Yet, if they ever steal gas again the next gas owner should shoot at them.

 

[Standing Wolf]

It's pretty sad when people are willing to shoot someone over $28 worth of gas.

It's even sadder when someone is willing to die for four gallons of gasoline.

 

[Hardtarget]

I did a stint of gas station work. A guy pumped a tank of gas and tried to drive off. Bill,(co-worker), put a brick through the rear window. Irate thief hops out and charges Bill...and Bill proceded to pound him into the pavement. Quite a show. I don't think the thief ever landed a punch. It was better than shooting at him!
Mark.

 

[seeker_two]

It's pretty sad when people are willing to shoot someone over $28 worth of gas.

It's even sadder when someone is willing to die for four gallons of gasoline.

+100 (adjusted for the world oil market), Standing Wolf...

Just found out that someone stole a 5-gallon can of gas from our backyard. If we find them, I'm pressing capital theft charges on those ....

 

[Aguila Blanca]

there was a time that a man was hung by a rope for horse thieving

People were hanged (or lynched) for stealing horses, but they weren't usually hanged for stealing oats or hay.

 

[V4Vendetta]

People were hanged for stealing horses because back then, towns were so far apart that if you lost your horse, you were probably going to die. Nowadays though you can't go 5 miles without stumbling into a town .

 

[Car Knocker]

Nowadays though you can't go 5 miles without stumbling into a town

Never been to Utah or Nevada, have you?

 

[V4Vendetta]

"Never been to Utah or Nevada, have you? "


Nope. Just NC & a little bit of Virginia & South Carolina. And around here area's that were once cow pastures & forrest are now mobile homes & Walmart's.

 

[SomeKid]

I don't have much pity for thieves. If the people really did steal gas, I say let the owner off, maybe fine him $500 for missing.

 

[Joe7cri]

What ever happened to court yard rules? You know, no Blood no Foul!

 

[Tom Servo]

I've worked in the industry, and I won't say I've been tempted to shoot at these jerks, but the idea is somewhat satisfying.

Theft is theft. It's not worth killing over, but it sure is annoying. I've seen folks drive off while I was pumping before. They're very casual and arrogant about it. It's gotten so bad that most stations have gone pre-pay, making it harder on everyone.

I did once know a shop owner who kept a suppy of D batteries behind the counter, and whenever someone took off, they'd get one through the back window.

FWIW, I've got some familiarity with how the industry works, and it's not the station-owners who are gouging us. NOR does it have much to do with the situation in the Middle East/Venezuela/Nigeria. It's the fault of AMERICAN INVESTORS. They are investing in petroleum like it's stock, buying up tons of it and trickling it back out in the market to keep prices high.

It goes against every fiber of my being to say this, but I imagine something will have to give, and the gov't will step in to regulate private trading of petroleum to bring prices back to normal.

 

[omnivore75]

I wonder which gun he used.....

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

a Thompson, MAC 10, etc........."a 45 automatic weapon".......chris3


A 45 automatic weapon is just media speak for any weapon that shoots 45 cal ammo. It dies not necessarily mean a fully automatic .45 cal weapon. Not when they print it anyway. The mis information and outright misleading lies that the mainstream media and liberal cun control groups like the Brady Bunch constantly want to spew out is pathetic. I am sure he was using a .45 acp pistol. Likely a 1911 but there are many many choices in a .45 these days.

 

[AK-74me]

A 45 automatic weapon is just media speak for any weapon that shoots 45 cal ammo. It dies not necessarily mean a fully automatic .45 cal weapon. Not when they print it anyway. The mis information and outright misleading lies that the mainstream media and liberal cun control groups like the Brady Bunch constantly want to spew out is pathetic. I am sure he was using a .45 acp pistol. Likely a 1911 but there are many many choices in a .45 these days.

I think your sarcasim detector may need a change of batteries.

 

[Werewolf]

Let me get this straight. The owner shoots at 2 guys for $28.31 worth of gas that he was probably gouging people on ?! Even if the owner wasn't gouging, you still shouldn't shoot at somebody over a little gas.

Ahh - so then if someone enters your home and all they take is a loaf of bread or a $20 CD then it's OK - you aren't going to shoot them over a a $20 CD and when they tell you to F'OFF when you tell them to stop and just walk out while you call the cops you're OK with that.

$1000 or $1 - theft is theft. If you've ever been a victim of it (my home's been broken into 3 times in the last 10 years) then your attitude may change.

 

[V4Vendetta]

Werewolf, here's my .02.

I wouldn't shoot them over a loaf of bread or a $20 CD. I wouldn't be able to know if that was all they were after so I'd have my gun out & at the ready. If they were in the process of running away, I wouldn't back-shoot them over a CD. I have been robbed though so you have my sympathy.

 

[shortydog]

maybe fine him $500 for missing.

that sounds fair.

 

[M67]

You should be careful with things like that. Next time it could be the king of Sweden. That would really get you some attention...

http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-jockstrip-world-as-we-know-it-/2006/04/28/1620583.htm

Swedish royals accidentally pump and run
GRAMYRA, Norway, April 28 (UPI) -- The identity of the car owner who cheated a Norwegian gas station out of a tank of gas came as a surprise -- it was the king of Sweden.

The owner of the Hydro Texaco station accepted an apology and full payment from the palace in Stockholm.

The unintentional theft occurred as King Carl Gustaf and Queen Sofia (sic), accompanied by two friends and two bodyguards, returned from an Easter visit to their cottage in Storlien, a Swedish ski resort almost on the Norwegian border. They stopped to buy gas at the station in the Trondelag region.

The newspaper Tronder-Avisa reported that one of the royal friends was driving. He filled the tank, went inside and paid for a candy bar -- but forgot to pay for the gas.

The owner of the little station in Trondelag was a nice fellow, said Nina Eld, a spokeswoman for the Swedish royal family. He accepted our apology and we settled up.

 

[perception]

I once bought 10 dollars of gas, hopped in my car, and drove away. I didn't even think about paying until I was about 10 miles down the road.

I turned around, went back and payed for it. They were pretty suprised to see me, but it was cool when I explained and payed up. It would have sucked really badly to get shot at for that mistake. Im sorry he was being stolen from, but chasing someone down is not the answer. Once they get away, its police work.

 

[DRZinn]

Maybe he wasn't shooting at them for $28 of gas, but to try to stop the hundreds of dollars of gas that gets stolen every week, more and more as prices rise.

Theft is theft.