Would-be gas thief hits attendant with car

An argument at a Costa Mesa gas station Monday night culminated in a would-be gas thief hitting an attendant with his car, police said.

A man attempted to steal gas from an Arco station in the 2600 block of Newport Boulevard about 8:20 p.m. when an employee confronted him, Costa Mesa police Lt. Greg Scott said.

As the employee tried to take down the car’s license plate number, the man backed up, hitting the employee with his car, Scott said.

The employee was unhurt, but police are treating the incident as an assault with a deadly weapon.

A description of the suspect was unavailable Tuesday.

— Jeremiah Dobruck

Twitter: @jeremiahdobruck