Gas thieves have become criminal in their attempts to avoid the rising costs of a gallon because of the high prices.
According to The New York Post, a downtown Los Angeles station reached $8 for a gallon of regular fuel, almost $2 more than the state average.
The West Coast leads in high gas prices with Washington, Oregon, and Arizona, all averaging more than $5 a gallon, while states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana come in just under the national average.
Some have found ways around the high price of a full tank. Two men are accused of stealing thousands of dollars' worth of fuel from a closed Citgo station in Virginia Beach.
The Virginia Beach Police Department said that they used "devices" to take the gas from the pumps and then sold it at a discounted price.
Highly modified trucks were being used to steal tens of thousands of gallons from Las Vegas gas stations, according to local news. Police became suspicious of motorists who spent over an hour at a gas pump and only paid $20 for gas.
Californians are being warned that their cars could be targets for fuel thieves. Gas theft could leave car owners with costly damage to their tanks as power tools replace rubber hoses to suck out fuel, according to the Fontana police department.
A man was caught on camera trying to steal gas from a truck in Utah. The branch manager of Summit Fire and Protection said that the company's trucks have been targets before.
"It's sad, but it's not worth the $5 that he would have saved for the injury that the guy sustained," Mills told the station.
Although Florida's average cost of a gallon is less than the national average, police discovered a gas theft ring in February. The six men are accused of stealing at least $60,000 in fuel from stations in the area.
The June report predicted pump price shocks. The price per gallon for gasoline will likely stay elevated as crude oil prices remain volatile.
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