Tanker Full of Diesel Fuel Hijacked in Houston
May 7, 2008
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A hijacker made off with a tanker truck just as the driver was topping off the load of diesel fuel, authorities said Tuesday.
The driver was pulling away from a fueling station along Texas 225 about 3 a.m. Monday when a man, possibly armed with a pistol, jumped into the cab, authorities said.
He told the driver to head toward the South Loop and the Gulf Freeway and later switched seats before ordering the driver out of the vehicle, Houston police said.
Other than to confirm the basic details of the case, Houston Police Department officials declined to comment, citing their ongoing investigation.
A trucking industry security expert said actual armed hijackings are rare. Most 18-wheel thefts occur after the trucks ignition is hot-wired or because the driver left the keys in the cab, said Jim Sutton, director of Washington, D.C.-based Highway Watch, part of the American Trucking Associations.
“It happens, but it is unusual,” Sutton said.
The truck — minus the fuel — will probably be found within the next few days, Sutton said.
“These people were after a commodity,” he said. “Its probably a lot more profitable for the risk than pulling a bank robbery.”
How much fuel the driver was carrying was unknown. On Tuesday, the average price for a gallon of diesel in Houston was $4.125.
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