Virginia drivers who drove to a Richmond gas station to fill up their gas tanks were left stunned after they witnessed a nightmarish price tag.
The pump, for 87 unleaded, read a record-high $6.999 at the BP station on Williamsburg Road near Parker street.
“I pulled in, I start pumping my gas, and then I realized I put $80 worth in my truck,” one driver told ABC8.
The driver added: “The lady next to me said she put $100 in her car. She just started crying because she said her car doesn’t take that much.”
The figure is more than double the city’s average gas price and tops the previous record high of $4.01 in July 2008.
“Ridiculous. I’ll go somewhere else to get gas or stay home,” another driver told the outlet.
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The sentiments were widely shared by other unsuspecting drivers, many of whom are experiencing gas shortages as a result of the cyberattack on the Colonial Pipeline.
The pipeline is responsible for providing 45% of gas across the East Coast and the southeastern United States.
Since the ransomware attack, gas production has been delayed, and distributions have been uneven. This occurrence subsequently spurred tens of thousands of drivers to panic-buy gas, resulting in further shortages and rising prices.
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Other cities in southeast Virginia are seeing record-high gas prices as well.
Gas prices in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Newport News hover around $3.89 per gallon — a record high, according to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency Tuesday over the rising prices, and he encouraged residents to report instances of suspected price gouging.
“We will investigate it, and if there’s price gouging going on, we won’t hesitate to make sure our laws are enforced,” Attorney General Mark Herring said after the price gouging laws went into effect, accusing “bad actors” of taking advantage of the situation.
“It just breaks my heart because we’re all trying to get through difficult situations together,” he added.
