LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – A gas station owner in Lake County said he's tired of crooks targeting his pumps, so he was armed and ready for a suspect last weekend.
Jaykumar Patel told News 6 that on Saturday afternoon, he got an error message on his register. He said he went outside to check what was going on at the gas pump.
"I knew that something was going wrong, so I was ready," Patel said.
Patel said when he approached, Lazaro Castro, 43, had a wire device attached to the pump.
Patel said he yelled at the man to stop and then pulled out his handgun.
Patel said Castro quickly started his vehicle and drove off.
"I saw the wire going in," Patel said. "Then I busted on his door, kicked on his door. And then he yelled at me, so I went back and pulled the gun out."
Lake County deputies spotted the vehicle a short time later and arrested Castro. Inside that vehicle, deputies said, Castro had several electronic devices.
"We can check the cameras -- who was it -- and we can report it to the cops," Patel said.
Castro is on probation for a 2016 conviction in Orange County, where he's alleged to have used compromised credit cards to steal fuel.