Three people were arrested overnight for allegedly stealing diesel fuel from a southwest Atlanta gas station.

The thefts occurred at an Exxon station on Joseph E. Lowery Boulevard near I-20.

Channel 2 Action News reported that the station's diesel pump had been manipulated so that employees inside the store couldn't tell it was in use.

Two of the men arrested had allegedly filled up two 55-gallon drums in the back of a pickup truck, while the third man was arrested after fueling up a wrecker.

"Somehow, the individuals had manipulated the pump so it didn't show inside that diesel was being pumped, or that any amount of gallons was coming out of it," Atlanta police Capt. Van Hobbs told Channel 2.

The price of diesel fuel across metro Atlanta currently ranges from $3.65 at a station in Dacula to $4.59 a gallon at a station in downtown Atlanta, according to atlantagasprices.com, a website that tracks fuel prices.

The Exxon where the alleged thefts occurred is selling diesel for $4.09 a gallon.

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Helen Gilbert places flowers on her brother Eurie Martin’s grave at Camp Spring Baptist Church in Sandersville. Her brother died eight years ago. Three former Washington County deputies are accused of causing his death and are set to stand trial Monday. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez