They say Darius Williams, 35, and another man turned off the device on a pump that measures the amount of gas and money at a 7-Eleven store in January.
According to authorities, Williams allegedly filled up his car, as well as several five-gallon water bottles with gas.
In fact, police say the men had done this before and would sell stolen gas on Chicago's West Side.
"The defendant in this case gave a full statement that he and another individual known as 'Mike the Gas Man' conceived this plan to steal gasoline and then sell it...They would both go to gas stations in Chicago or abandoned parking lots near service stations in Chicago and offer to sell up to 5 gallons of gasoline for $10," Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel was quoted in a news release.
The other offender only known as "Mike the Gas Man" was still at large Sunday.
Williams was charged with one count of retail theft of motor fuel and criminal damage to property, the release said.
