3.19 so far today in Atlanta
Atlanta Journal constitution
Panic drives gasoline up and out
From late morning to early afternoon, the highest area price for regular doubled briefly from about $2.70 a gallon to more than $5 a gallon. A BP station in McDonough hit $5.87, according to AtlantaGasPrices.com. Four dollars a gallon became common. There were numerous reports late Wednesday of stations' closing, or shutting down their pumps. Some stations capped purchases. At a Midtown Chevron that announced a 10-gallon limit on purchases "due to the fuel shortage,"
The governor urged calm and expressed faith in market-regulated prices. Four and a half hours later, he declared a state of emergency. Even the experts didn't have answers. "I don't want to scare the public to death, because I don't have a crystal ball," said Roger T. Lane, president of the Georgia Oilmen's Association, which represents distributors. "Gasoline is in tight supply."
Tammy Crowe of Dallas was waiting in line at a gas station in Lithia Springs when she saw another motorist pull a gun.
People had been waiting for a half-hour and were edgy when a man in a bronze car cut off a motorcyclist, Crowe said.
" 'Hey, wait a minute. I've been waiting here,' " the motorcyclist admonished the line-breaker, Crowe said. The two men began arguing.
Then the man in the car pulled a handgun out of his pocket, Crowe said. "It was big."
A gas station employee yelled, "You want to go to jail?" and pulled out a cellphone.
The man put the weapon away and said he wanted to get back in line.
"No," the employee said. "Leave." He did.
Crowe heard a woman who was waiting say, "It ain't worth my life to get gas. We just need to pray."