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KEY POINTS
- The gas station owner recognized the car as it had allegedly stolen fuel earlier in the week
- The car moved forward despite the gas station owner standing in front of it
- Police alleged that the car was stolen and used in other crimes, including a robbery
A 19-year-old man in Australia has been arrested after he was caught on video hitting a gas station owner in southwest Queensland with a stolen car and driving off with the owner still clinging to the vehicle’s hood.
CCTV cameras captured Clint Weber being struck and clinging to the hood of a car as he tried to stop a driver from allegedly stealing gas at his Gowrie One Stop Convenience Centre in Toowoomba Wednesday afternoon, 7News reported.
Weber recognized the car driven by the suspect, identified by 9News as Brendan Lawrence Gillmeister, as it had allegedly stolen fuel earlier in the week.
In the security footage obtained by both outlets, Weber could be seen standing in front of the car after one of the occupants filled it up with gas and got inside.
However, the driver allegedly hit the accelerator and struck Weber, who then clung to the hood as the car continued to move. Weber continued to cling to the car as it drove out onto the street and away from the business.
The car eventually stopped, and Weber was able to walk away from the scene.
“At that point, I held on for grim death I suppose,” Weber was quoted as saying by 9News.
A post on the business’ Facebook page revealed that Weber was recovering from the “sore ribs, cuts and bruises” he suffered in the incident.
“Thank you everyone for your concern about how Clint is,” the post read.
Police alleged that the car had been stolen and used in several other crimes, including a robbery.
Gillmeister appeared before a court Friday for several charges, including unlawful use of a motor vehicle, armed robbery and unlicensed driving.
Gillmeister will remain behind bars before his next court appearance in June.
Further, police are still tracking the second man who was in the car.
In related news, the Garland Police Department arrested three suspects this week for allegedly stealing thousands of gallons of gasoline from multiple cities across North Texas, WFAA reported.
Detectives investigating the case alleged that suspects Julio Benitez-Hernandez, 30, Joxan Santos-Legon, 42, and Rafael Vazquez-Unzaga, 30, stole more than 18,000 gallons of fuel from the Ricky Rockets Fuel Station located at 1910 S. Jupiter Rd.
Police alleged that the suspects used a complicated system that included a box truck with an internal storage system for the theft.
“Seeing this truck come to the location multiple times and they’re there for an extended amount of time so that piqued some curiosity,” officer Felicia Jones of Garland Police stated.
The three suspects were transported to the Bowie County Jail and are facing fuel-related theft charges in Garland, as well as in Bowie and Franklin Counties.
Reuters
