Philadelphia gas station owner hires heavily armed guards to protect business

FOX 29 Philadelphia ^ | 12/6/22

[EBH]

Neil Patel, operator of a Karco gas station at Broad and Clearfield streets in North Philadelphia, recruited Pennsylvania S.I.T.E Agents clad with Kevlar vest and AR-15s or shotguns. "They are forcing us to hire the security, high-level security, state level," Patel told FOX 29. "We are tired of this nonsense; robbery, drug trafficking, hanging around, gangs."

[EBH]

This is a YouTube News posting.

Would you buy gas at this location if you saw something like this?

[rarestia]

I would deliberately avoid this location and ~25 miles around it.

[nwrep]

No way.

[EBH]

Because of the location or because of the guns?

[Magnum44]

I am very curious what it means to be ‘state level’ private security. That is a new term to me. I expect that differs state to state.

[Jyotishi]

“I am very curious what it means to be ‘state level’ private security.”

Some police departments allow off-duty police officers to work private security.

[EBH]

https://pasitestateagent.com/

Here’s their website. I think they are private security.

[Magnum44]

So these are all off duty cops? If so this sounds like a protection ‘racket’. Didn’t we use to call that the mafia?

Not knocking the store owner for hiring protection. But this seems like a great business opportunity in the current environment yet its limited to only those who are already ‘priviliged’ when it comes to being able to show and use force to protect property.

[CatOwner]

Gunfire around a gas station. What could possibly go wrong?

[Magnum44]

Thanks, it doesn’t say a whole lot about who they are, but they carry the state seal so it appears they are current/former LEO. See post 8.

[Dr. Sivana]

Would you buy gas at this location if you saw something like this?

If I already lived or worked there, or if I were running low on gas while driving through Philly I would.

[Hattie]

The enemy within.

[rolling_stone]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkhAwabc1Mw

hour long chase ends in gas station 1:10

[blackdog]

The guy must think he’s a congressman or something?

[wafflehouse]

you never hear about anyone going around lightly armed.. maybe ‘heavily armed’ is just an inflammatory adjective that has no business in journalism?

[lurk]

When it becomes cheaper to create a fortress than to lose so much in theft, you build a fortress.