TexasCHLforum.com

I saw a Seni truck parked on the feeder with its lights flashing. And there was a black man using a siphon to move fuel into a red plastic fuel can. I didn't think abut it till I was on the freeway but I think i just witness a crime. Should I have called the police? I didn't have my gun with me either.

Were you more surprised that he was siphoning fuel/diesel out, or that he was "black"?

or that the fuel can was "red"?

psijac wrote:I saw a Seni truck parked on the feeder with its lights flashing. And there was a black man using a siphon to move fuel into a red plastic fuel can. I didn't think abut it till I was on the freeway but I think i just witness a crime. Should I have called the police? I didn't have my gun with me either.

First off, you would have no business even thinking about needing a gun when you have no idea if there is a crime in progress or not, unless you are threatened with bodily harm. Also, siphoning gas at worst is a misdemeanor. If you do feel it is a crime in progress, then you should call the police, be a good witness, but stay out of it as you are not the police.

not enough info to judge. Was he pulling a refrigerated trailer? Sometimes a reefer will burn more fuel then expected and when it runs out, you don't have time to get to a truck stop to get fuel. Maybe his truck was losing power and he was replacing his fuel filters before it died on the highway. Fuel filters on diesels have to be filled before installation.

The only thing I might have done was call the non-emergency number and advise them about the situation.

Keith B wrote:

psijac wrote:I saw a Seni truck parked on the feeder with its lights flashing. And there was a black man using a siphon to move fuel into a red plastic fuel can. I didn't think abut it till I was on the freeway but I think i just witness a crime. Should I have called the police? I didn't have my gun with me either.

First off, you would have no business even thinking about needing a gun when you have no idea if there is a crime in progress or not, unless you are threatened with bodily harm. Also, siphoning gas at worst is a misdemeanor. If you do feel it is a crime in progress, then you should call the police, be a good witness, but stay out of it as you are not the police.

Keith B wrote:

psijac wrote:I saw a Seni truck parked on the feeder with its lights flashing. And there was a black man using a siphon to move fuel into a red plastic fuel can. I didn't think abut it till I was on the freeway but I think i just witness a crime. Should I have called the police? I didn't have my gun with me either.

First off, you would have no business even thinking about needing a gun when you have no idea if there is a crime in progress or not, unless you are threatened with bodily harm. Also, siphoning gas at worst is a misdemeanor. If you do feel it is a crime in progress, then you should call the police, be a good witness, but stay out of it as you are not the police.

psijac wrote:I didn't have my gun with me either.

CHL + MPA and you still didn't have a gun?

...siphoning gas at worst is a misdemeanor.

Wow, you learn something new everyday!!!

Guess I gotta throw away my "thing" I bought back just after "Ike" hit...I needed to make sure I could siphon a little go go juice from the truck/car tank to power the generator I had (just in case)...

I actually bought two...One for fuel, and one for potable water transfers...

FWIW, I would not consider observing someone siphoning off fuel on the side of the road to be much of a problem in the first place...To much of the "nunyobidness-itis" for me to bother with...Sorry...

I agree with the previous replies in that you really shouldn't approach him with or without a gun unless it's your semi or is someone's you know.

Was there another vehicle around? That would be a good indicator but not conclusive either.

In the immortal words of 03lightningrocks, "a CHL is not a Batman license".

psijac wrote:I saw a Seni truck parked on the feeder with its lights flashing. And there was a black man using a siphon to move fuel into a red plastic fuel can. I didn't think abut it till I was on the freeway but I think i just witness a crime. Should I have called the police? I didn't have my gun with me either.

You sure did witness a crime. Diesel is supposed to be in a yellow container.

bdickens wrote:

psijac wrote:I saw a Seni truck parked on the feeder with its lights flashing. And there was a black man using a siphon to move fuel into a red plastic fuel can. I didn't think abut it till I was on the freeway but I think i just witness a crime. Should I have called the police? I didn't have my gun with me either.

You sure did witness a crime. Diesel is supposed to be in a yellow container.

LOL.

And, if any were to drip on the ground, a HAZMAT team should have been notified and placed on stand by.

More than one of the contributors here has discussed witnessing crimes in progress (or so they thought...) and then mentioned their getting involved with their personal firearm rather than thinking of calling the police.

The vast majority of CHLers appreciate that they are not LEO's, but apparently, here and there are a few individuals that still misunderstand what having a CHL is all about and can easily give us all a black eye.

While we're dismayed with businesses that post 30.06 signs, perhaps this gun-totin-vigilante type behavior is what they're really most afraid of...