This is the terrifying moment a brave service station owner clings on to the bonnet of a brazen fuel thief intent on running him over.
Clint Weber, who runs the Gowrie One Stop Convenience Centre with his wife Kerry in Toowoomba, Queensland, confronted two young thugs who had filled a stolen grey Volkswagen before attempting to drive off without paying on Wednesday.
Security footage from the confrontation shows Mr Weber bravely face down the thieves, while his wife stands behind the car to prevent it from reversing.
But the station’s CCTV captured the horrifying moment the driver accelerated hard into him as Mr Weber clung to the bonnet in a desperate bid to stop the robbery.
He is seen still holding on to the car as it swung round the corner before he jumped off.
Incredibly, Mr Weber emerged without any major injuries.
‘He’s a true Aussie Bloke, that has some sore ribs, cuts and bruises,’ the service station’s Facebook page posted.
Mr Weber told Daily Mail Australia that he was immediately suspicious of the car when it pulled up because he believed it had stolen fuel on Monday.
‘I thought, ‘here they are, these rotten sods’,’ he said.
‘I ducked out and decided I’d just surveil the situation and see what they were doing.’
Mr Weber said the thought that he might die crossed his mind.
‘I was looking right into his eyes and there was no intention to stop,’ he said.
‘Old mate was more set on the idea of getting away and he wasn’t necessarily too keen on the fact that I was there.
‘He was swerving and braking hard and trying to get me off the car – I didn’t know what was going to happen if I did roll off. Then all of a sudden there’s a car rushing up beside my right. I realised if I rolled off into the traffic I was just going to get myself squished.’
He added: ‘It wasn’t a fun exercise – I’ll give you the news.’
Mr Weber said the police had a ‘fair idea’ of who the criminals were.
Clint Weber leapt onto the bonnet of the allegedly stolen grey Volkswagen as its driver accelerated into him
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Mr Weber (pictured, left) and his wife Kerry (right) both bravely attempted to stop the brazen fuel thieves
Darling Downs Police Detective Acting Inspector Jason Kitto said the car was 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 who are responsible for the offence at the service station are also responsible for a number of other offences committed within the Darling Downs,’ he told The Courier Mail.
Acting Inspector Kitto said the footage of the incident was ‘deplorable’, while urging residents not to put themselves in danger to try and stop crimes.
‘I was quite disturbed, for someone to put someone else in harm by driving off over fuel in a vehicle is quite deplorable,’ he said.
‘My advice to those people is let the police do their job, do not put yourself in harm’s way.
‘Property can be replaced, human life cannot be.
‘It could’ve turned bad really fast – (he was) very lucky, with the footage seen he has been collected by the vehicle and dragged for a short time, (but) it could’ve ended up a lot worse.’
Mr Weber was still clinging to the bonnet as the car sped off around the corner
Last year, Mr Weber hit out at the level of crime occurring in the area.
In an interview with The Gowrie Chronicle, he called for tougher sentences on thieves.
‘When they’re driving looking for fuel, they don’t care where they go, the first servo they come across they’re going to flog fuel from,’ he said.
‘It doesn’t really matter what crime they commit, there needs to be a consequence.’
Mr Weber said it seemed as though there was a ‘revolving door’ at the courthouse with young people committing crimes and being released.
‘The revolving door policy in the courts that seems to exist at the moment, it doesn’t help us as small businesses,’ he said.
