This is the terrifying moment when a brave gas station owner clings to the hood of a brutal fuel thief intent on getting him run over.
Clint Weber, who runs the Gowrie One Stop Convenience Center with his wife Kerry in Toowoomba, Queensland, confronted two young offenders who filled up a stolen gray Volkswagen before attempting to drive away without paying on Wednesday.
Security footage of the confrontation shows Mr. Weber bravely facing the thieves, while his wife stands behind the car to prevent it from reversing.
But the station’s CCTV captured the horrific moment when the driver slammed into him hard as Mr Weber clung to the bonnet in a desperate attempt to stop the robbery.
He is seen still holding on to the car as it swung around the corner before jumping off.
Incredibly, Mr. Weber came out without any significant injuries.
“He’s a proper Aussie Dude, having some sore ribs, cuts and bruises,” the gas station’s Facebook page wrote.
Mr Weber told Daily Mail Australia he was immediately suspicious of the car when it stopped, thinking it had stolen fuel on Monday.
“I thought, ‘here they are, those rotten sods,'” he said.
“I ducked and decided I’d just watch the situation and see what they were doing.”
Mr Weber said the thought that he might die occurred to him.
“I looked him straight in the eye and had no intention of stopping,” he said.
“Old friend was more determined to leave and he wasn’t exactly thrilled with me being there.
“He swerved and braked hard and tried to get me out of the car – I didn’t know what would happen if I rolled off. Then suddenly a car pulls up next to me. I realized that if I rolled into traffic I would just flatten myself.”
He added, “It wasn’t a fun exercise — I’ll tell you the news.”
Weber said police had a “reasonable idea” of who the criminals were.
Clint Weber jumped on the hood of the supposedly stolen gray Volkswagen as the driver drove into it
Mr Weber (pictured, left) and his wife Kerry (right) both bravely tried to stop the brazen fuel thieves
Darling Downs Police Department acting superintendent Jason Kitto said the car had been stolen and police were on the hunt for two adult suspects.
“The vehicle was stolen from a private residence (on Russell St in Toowoomba) and we believe those responsible for the offense at the petrol station are also responsible for a number of other offenses committed in the Darling Downs,” he said. The courier mail.
Acting Inspector Kitto said the footage of the incident was “deplorable” as he urged residents not to put themselves at risk to stop crimes.
“I was quite upset, it is very regrettable for someone to harm someone else by driving off too much fuel in a vehicle.
‘My advice to those people is: let the police do their job, don’t put yourself in danger.
Property can be replaced, human life cannot.
“It could have ended badly very quickly – (he was) very lucky, with the footage seen he was picked up by the vehicle and towed for a short time, (but) it could have ended much worse.”
Mr. Weber was still clinging to the hood as the car tore around the corner
Last year, Mr. Weber fell out on the level of crime in the area.
In an interview with The Gowrie Chronicle, he called for tougher punishments for thieves.
“If they’re driving looking for fuel, they don’t care where they go, the first servo they come across will give them fuel,” he said.
“It really doesn’t matter what crime they commit, there has to be a consequence.”
Mr Weber said it seemed like there was a ‘revolving door’ in the courthouse with young people committing crimes and being released.
“The revolving door policies in the courts that seem to be in place right now are not helping us as small businesses,” he said.