Thieves steal 6,000 gallons of gas

CLEARWATER, Fla., Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Six thousand gallons of gasoline were stolen within 23 minutes from a BP station in Clearwater, Fla., police said.

The gasoline was valued at nearly $14,000, said police, who determined the theft occurred between 11:12 p.m. and 11:35 p.m. Saturday.

Police responding to a 911 report of a strong smell of gasoline found a pool of gas on the pavement and the tops of the underground storage tanks removed, the St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times reported Tuesday.

The gas station was closed at the time.

Large-scale fuel thefts happen, but not often, said Jim Smith, president of the Florida Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association.

The thief, or thieves, likely planned to sell the gas at below-market value to an unscrupulous retailer, Smith said.

"My guess is the thief already had a customer before he stole the gasoline," Smith told the Times in an e-mail.