The national average gas price is currently $4.30 per gallon, and even though Texas is among one of the cheaper states to get gas right now ($3.98 per gallon), a manager of a family-owned gas station in Houston had to chase off a group of thieves that stole more than 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

The thieves stole from the station’s underground tanks three days in a row last week, the son of the owner of Fuqua Express station, Jerry Thayil, said.

Thayil said that they were able to escape with around $5,000 and $6,000 worth of gasoline, and likely had some type of trap door in their vehicle to access the underground tanks.

“At first we were like, I wonder what he’s doing there because we didn’t see anyone get out of the vehicle but then we realized there’s probably a trap door inside the vehicle and he’s pumping like that,” Thayil said.

He added that the thieves tried to steal from his father’s gas station for a fourth straight day on March 11, but he chased them off before they could get to the tanks.

“I didn’t want to just let them hit us again and lose another $1,200, $1,300,” Thayil said. “So I decided I would do something about it and I ran out there and chased them away.”

He also said that a police report with the Houston Police Department has been filed, and they are currently investigating the incident.

“We’re a family-owned business, so every penny counts around here,” Thayil said. “We’re supporting 11 employees who work here. They have they have their own families, so we don’t want to let them down.”

Written By: Colin Martin for KRLD