Grand Theft in Lincoln Acres 

December 3, 2024 – San Diego County Sheriff’s Office officials report that a man has been arrested on suspicion of stealing more than $40,000 worth of gasoline from a gas station in the South Bay. 

On November 26, The Imperial Beach Sheriff's Substation received a report of a grand theft at the Chevron located in the 1900 block of Sweetwater Road in Lincoln Acres.

Employees told deputies the suspect was believed to have been visiting the gas station at least twice a week since June 2024, stealing an estimated $2,000 worth of gasoline each time. The gas station had been working with Chevron's Information Technology (IT) Department to resolve the issue, as they were continually noticing fuel consumption amounts not matching the sales amounts at the end of the day.

To date, the gas station estimated the suspect may have stolen about $42,000 worth of gasoline.

Employees at the gas station began reviewing video surveillance footage from the date and times of the unauthorized transactions and noticed the same vehicle and unidentified man stealing gasoline each time. He was able to manipulate the gas pumps using a credit card, which would indicate to the fuel system the pump was in use. However, the transactions were never charged.

On Monday, December 2, just before 11:30 a.m., Sheriff's Deputies responded to a call about a suspicious person at the Chevron gas station in Lincoln Acres. The reporting party had noticed the same vehicle and suspect at the gas pumps he had seen on his video surveillance system associated with the previous thefts.

Deputies arrived and contacted the sole occupant of the vehicle, identified as Andrew Gerardo Escobedo (19), inside a GMC Yukon pumping gas. Deputies found numerous large plastic containers inside the vehicle, some of which contained gasoline.

Escobedo was arrested on suspicion of grand theft and booked into the San Diego Central Jail. The investigation is ongoing.

Source & photos: San Diego County Sheriff’s Office