Local News

HAYWARD (BCN) ― Alameda County Assistant District Attorney Ann Diem said Tuesday that she will file five felony counts against Amritpal Dhaliwal alleging that he shoplifted electronic equipment and video games from Target stores in San Leandro, Hayward and Livermore.

Dhaliwal, 19, and his brother, 23-year-old Kulbir Dhaliwal, both of San Jose, are threatening to sue the city of San Francisco for being attacked by a tiger at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day.

On May 8, the San Francisco City Attorney's office denied a claim filed by the Dhaliwal brothers on March 27 for being attacked by a Siberian tiger named Tatiana at the San Francisco Zoo on Dec. 25.

But the brothers still have up to six months to file a lawsuit against the city.

Their attorneys, Mark Geragos and Shepard Kopp, couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.

A third victim in that incident, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. of San Jose, died after being attacked by the tiger. The tiger was shot to death
by police.

Sousa's family filed a claim against the city of San Francisco last week.

Diem said Amritpal Dhaliwal will be charged later Tuesday with three counts of commercial burglary and two counts of grand theft for allegedly shoplifting at Target stores in San Leandro, Hayward and Livermore between March 24 and March 27.

The incidents occurred around the same time that Dhaliwal and his brother filed their claims against the city of San Francisco.

The claims alleged that the zoo, which is owned by the city and managed by the nonprofit San Francisco Zoological Society, "has a responsibility to the public to prevent injury by dangerous animals."

The claims contend that the brothers suffered serious physical injuries as well as emotional injuries stemming from both the attack and an alleged "smear campaign" against them by Sam Singer's public relations firm, which was hired by the zoo after the incident.

When the claims were filed, Singer said their allegations "are patently false" and "there was no concerted campaign" against the Dhaliwal brothers.

After the zoo incident, San Francisco police conducted an investigation into whether Sousa or the Dhaliwals may have taunted the tiger before it escaped or whether alcohol was involved. But police suspended the investigation without filing any charges on Jan. 29.

According to San Leandro police Lt. Tom Overton, Amritpal Dhaliwal was arrested shortly after 6:30 p.m. on March 27 after a security guard at the Target store at the Bayfair Center at 15555 East 14th St. in San Leandro observed him stuffing items inside his pants.

Overton said Dhaliwal walked past all the store registers, never attempted to pay for the concealed items and walked outside of the store, where Target security stopped him and put him under citizen's arrest.

The concealed items were two Nintendo Wii controllers valued at a total of about $80, according to a police report on the incident.

Overton said Dhaliwal was taken to the San Leandro jail but was released at 2:50 a.m. on March 28 after posting $1,500 bail.

Overton said San Leandro police continued their investigation because Target security officials said they believed Dhaliwal also had shoplifted from other stores.

He said security videotapes indicate that Dhaliwal shoplifted items from Target stores in Hayward on March 24 and at Livermore on March 25 and 27 in addition to shoplifting from the San Leandro store on March 27.

Overton said police believe the incidents were more than petty theft because videotapes indicate that Dhaliwal loaded up his shopping basket with items and then went straight for the exit without paying for them.

Dhaliwal is scheduled to be arraigned in Alameda County Superior Court in Hayward at 9 a.m. on May 27.

Diem said Dhaliwal has been in jail in Santa Clara County for several weeks for violating his probation for a prior felony conviction for evading police in that county.

Diem said Dhaliwal could face at least three years in state prison if he's convicted of the charges against him.

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