Serial gas thief tries to run down service station workers in Ontario town: police
Published November 15, 2024 at 10:30 am
Police are on the hunt for a man they say stole gas from an eastern Ontario service station before trying to run down several employees as he fled the scene in a minivan on Thursday afternoon.
The mid-afternoon theft in Embrun, a small town about 45 kilometres southeast of Ottawa, was the fourth time the same man has stolen gas in a similar manner in the past two weeks, Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release on Friday.
Police say service station workers who tried to confront the culprit told them the man “intentionally drove at them with his vehicle” after filling up with gas and not paying for it at about 2:15 p.m.
The man is described as older, with grey hair, glasses and he was wearing a black jacket, jeans and brown boots.
The vehicle involved is a silver Dodge Caravan with no front licence plate, large dents along the passenger side and Ontario dealer plate 093 DSV on the back of the van.
The plate was previously reported to the Ministry of Transportation as missing, police said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Russell County OPP at 613-443-4499, the OPP Communication Centre at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
Image of man accused of stealing gas from a service station near Ottawa on Thursday. (Photo: OPP)