Local News

SAN LEANDRO (CBS 5 / KCBS / BCN) ― Shortly after two brothers filed legal claims against the city of San Francisco for being attacked by a tiger on Christmas Day, the younger of the pair was arrested for petty theft in San Leandro, police said.

Paul Daliwhal, 19, of San Jose, was arrested Thursday evening for allegedly trying to shoplift two Nintendo Wii controllers from a Target store at the Bayfair Center at 15555 East 14th Street.
 
Police said Dhaliwal was stopped by store security after he walked past the checkout registers with the controllers concealed in his clothes.

San Leandro police Lt. Tom Overton said a security guard at the store at had observed Dhaliwal stuffing the items inside his pants about 6:30 p.m.; he never attempted to pay for them and walked outside of the store, where Target security placed him under citizen's arrest.

The stolen Nintendo Wii controllers had a total value of about $80, according to a police report on incident, making it a misdemeanor petty theft.

Dahliwal was booked on the theft charge and later released early Friday morning after posting $1, 500 bail.

Overton said that Target security officials told police that Dhaliwal may also have shoplifted items from stores in Hayward and Fremont.

Overton added that detectives are following up on that information and the Alameda County District Attorney's office had been notified.

He said that if authorities charge Dhaliwal with additional thefts, the charges against him could be upgraded to felonies.

The police report on the shoplifting incident said a Target clerk told authorities that Dhaliwal "looked similar to a person who had stolen numerous Blu-Ray DVDs" from the Target store in Hayward.

Overton said that when police questioned Dhaliwal, he admitted that he had concealed the Wii controllers but he claimed that he never left the store.

The police report stated that when four Target security guards approached Dhaliwal he "was uncooperative and immediately began to resist."

But the guards were able to place him under citizen's arrest by using "non violent crisis intervention techniques," according to the report.

The report indicated Dhaliwal was "untruthful" and uncooperative when police questioned him about the San Leandro incident and other possible thefts.

According to the report, when Dhaliwal was asked why he came to the Target store on Thursday evening, he said, "Just for a stupid ass reason."

The report noted that Dhaliwal claimed the reason he stole the items from Target is, "I just needed something to eat."

According to the report, when Dhaliwal was asked how often he stole from Target, he said, "I swear to God I never stole from Target except a couple of weeks ago. I stole a bag of Skittles."

The report said Dhaliwal was asked if he'd be willing to work as a confidential informant with Target's investigation team or local law enforcement, but he said, "No, I don't have the time."

About eight hours before the alleged shoplifting incident on Thursday, Dhaliwal and his older brother, 23-year old Kulbir Dhaliwal, had filed claims against the city of San Francisco for being wounded in an attack by a Siberian tiger named Tatiana at the San Francisco Zoo on Dec. 25.

The claims are the first step toward a possible civil lawsuit. A San Francisco police investigation concluded the Dhaliwals may have taunted the tiger before it escaped and attacked.

As for the theft incident, it was the latest in a series of run-ins the Dhaliwal brothers have had with authorities over the past year, according to the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper.

-- Last December, Paul Dhaliwal was charged with marijuana possession by police in Milpitas. The case is still pending.

-- Last September, both men were charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest. Paul Dhaliwal was also charged with misdemeanor battery on a San Jose police officer in that incident. This case also remains pending.

-- Last April, Paul Dhaliwal led police on a high-speed chase. He was placed on probation after pleading no contest to felony reckless driving.

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