Metro Atlanta group accused of stealing $10K in diesel from Alabama gas station

(Pelham Police Department)

Officers in Alabama have arrested four Georgia men and one woman in connection with stealing diesel fuel worth thousands of dollars from a local gas station.

Officials in Pelham, Alabama say 2,100 gallons of diesel fuel were stolen from the gas station between Aug. 2 and Aug. 5. The total monetary loss to the business is estimated to be around $10,000.

According to detectives, the suspects were able to bypass the pumps' security, tricking the system to not record how much fuel was being pumped out.

"Once the owner determined there was no leak in his tanks, he reviewed surveillance video and found a man filling up a large storage container in the back of a moving truck," Detective Sgt. Brad Jordan said in a statement.

After reporting the theft, officers say they increased the number of patrols in the area and caught the suspects less than a day later while they allegedly showed up again to steal more fuel.

The suspects are identified as 21-year-old Brion Tiyari Harris, 23-year-old Brandon Michael Tyson, 22-year-old Makai Michael Anthony Brown, 23-year-old Santos Sirchard Oliver, and 25-year-old Jasmine Symone Mathis. All the suspects are from Atlanta other than Harris, who is a resident of Conyers, Georgia.

" We want to make sure criminals hear this message loud and clear," said Pelham Police Chief Pat Cheatwood. "It does not pay to come to Pelham to commit crimes."

All the suspects are charged with third-degree theft of property.

It is unknown whether the arrests are possibly connected to a second arrest of five suspects out of Fayette County. In that case, officials say the suspects used similar technology to steal thousands of dollars in gas while the station was closed.