Something as simple as pumping gas at a 7-Eleven should not have to be that hard—or scary. Unfortunately, sometimes it is.
A woman has taken to social media to share an exchange she captured between her partner and a man. She says the latter was staring at her at a 7-Eleven gas station, making her uncomfortable.
User @k_kassandra98 posted the clip to TikTok. In it, she captures the interaction between her partner and the person who was allegedly staring at her off-camera. The clip has drawn over 3.7 million views as of Friday.
An uncomfortable situation
“Reasons why my man always pumps my gas and I never come alone,” a text overlay on the video reads. “A man pulled into the gas station. The [minute] he saw me he started circling me. He first parked in front of me then came right beside of me and his gas tank was on the other side. I texted my man to hurry up. Without hesitation he came and confronted the guy.”
In the video, the TikToker’s partner speaks to someone off-camera, telling them that his girlfriend had texted him saying someone was staring at her. This was met with defensiveness as the other man accused her partner of threatening him. Ultimately, the boyfriend told him to “keep it moving.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to @k_kassandra98 via TikTok direct message regarding the video.
How frequent is gas station crime?
While some might find the TikToker to be overly cautious, it might not hurt to be.
A 2021 FBI report showed that convenience stores were the fourth most frequent location for violent crime, followed by gas stations in seventh place. That translates to about 2% and 3% of violent crimes in 2020.
The majority of the reported crimes were robberies.
What are some best practices for gas station safety?
Just as with any travel, there are several ways to approach gassing up with safety in mind.
It is generally recommended to not leave any valuables visible in the car, like purses, with the door unlocked while fueling. Remaining aware of the environment, and keeping your back to the vehicle, is another tip frequently shared with travelers. Similarly, keeping windows rolled up while stopped at a gas station is also recommended.
Viewers applauded her partner
Several viewers were quick to point out that the other gas station customer was the first one to say something to the poster’s boyfriend—and they found it suspicious.
“You can tell dude was being a creep by the fact he said something to the boyfriend as soon as he walked up,” one commenter wrote. “If you’re just getting gas you wouldn’t acknowledge a random dude walking back to his car.”
“Yeah he was up to something cuz why he even say anything to her man?” another added.
“The man got defensive right away.. he knew what he was doing,” one said.
Not everyone was on board
Others were critical of the poster, suggesting her actions put her partner in danger.
“Fellas this is prime example of choosing the right woman, you put your man in a dangerous situation for somebody lookin at u,” one commenter wrote. “Your life was not in danger yet you put his in danger. This is not a flex.”
“He could’ve just came and pumped the gas. confronting dude off assumption could’ve ended bad,” another wrote.
“Wait he confronted him for staring at you?” another echoed. “That was unnecessary and could’ve become deadly for no reason. Some battles aren’t worth having.”
@k_kassandra98 LADIES never pump your gas at night!!! Thankful for my man to always take care of it for me. @Ray #gastation #awareness #beawareofyoursurroundings ♬ original sound – Kassandra Rivera
That was met with fierceness by viewers who were happy to see the poster validated and supported by her partner.
“The wayyall said she put her man in danger…where y’all not the ones that said men are meant to protect women???” one commenter wrote. “I guess it’s only when you want to I guess. If it got bad I again what would happen he wasn’t there.”
“Yall clearly don’t have bfs, all she did was text her man to hurry up and come back to the car,” another commenter wrote. “She wasn’t asking him to confront the dude, just wanted him to be present so that the other guy knew.”
“For the women saying don’t put your man in dangerous situations, I say get you a man that’s dangerous,” a commenter wrote. “Free game.”
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