In context: With the average price of gas in the US creeping towards $3 per gallon, some are clearly looking for relief at the pumps. How the hackers pulled off the heist, however, is perhaps more intriguing than why they did it.

Detroit police are looking for two people they say allegedly hacked a local gas pump to steal hundreds of gallons of fuel in broad daylight.

The theft took place around 1 p.m. on June 23 at a Marathon service station in Detroit, Michigan. According to a report from Fox 2 Detroit, police said the thieves used a remote device to hack the pump which was also able to stop the pump from being turned off by the clerk inside the store.

Local 4 News said surveillance cameras watching the pumps were broken at the time the theft occurred. Cameras inside the store captured images of two suspects, however.

Over the course of about 90 minutes, police say around 600 gallons of fuel was stolen. It is believed that more than 10 vehicles - but less than 20 - were used to haul off the gas. Police don't know if the thieves planned the heist with accomplices or simply charged station customers a discounted rate to fill up at the hacked pump.

At roughly $3 per gallon, that works out to around $1,800 in stolen fuel.

The store's clerk told Fox 2 Detroit that he tried to shut the pump down but it didn't work. He was only able to turn it off and call police after getting an "emergency kit."