By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — A driver sped off from a Quezon City gasoline station without paying for P1,500 worth of fuel on Friday night, in an incident police are calling “Gas and Run 2.0” after a similar viral SUV case last month.
According to the initial report from Quezon City Police District Station 7, the driver of a sedan gassed up at a station along Commonwealth Avenue at around 9:40 p.m. on April 18.
After the attendant filled the tank with P1,500 worth of unleaded gasoline, the driver rolled up the window and drove off without paying. The attendant tried to stop the vehicle but the driver accelerated toward Katipunan Avenue.
“The modus is the same as the viral SUV gas and run we had in March — fill up, pretend to look for cash, then speed away,” said PCapt. Jerome Laxa, QCPD Station 7 investigator.
Police Release Plate Number
CCTV footage showed the sedan bore a temporary plate. Police are coordinating with the Land Transportation Office to identify the registered owner.
The station management said they will file estafa and theft charges. The amount, while small, falls under theft if intent to defraud is proven.
“Gas and run is theft. It’s not just P1,500 — it’s the safety of our attendants who try to stop these cars,” said the station supervisor, who declined to be named.
Last March, a white SUV went viral on social media after fleeing a gas station in Pasig with P2,300 in unpaid fuel.
The driver was later identified and charged after netizens traced the plate number.
QCPD said Friday’s case is the second “gas and run” reported in the district this month. Both incidents happened at night and involved drivers alone in the vehicle.
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