Police Continue Search for Shoplifter Also Wanted in Connection With Dog Attack

Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety officers have arrested two teens and are seeking a third in connection with a shoplifting incident at a Target store Tuesday.

A 16-year-old boy left the store without paying for two bottles of Malibu Rum, Sgt. Mike Bates said.

The teen tried to flee and almost struck a store security guard twice in the face outside the store, Bates said. Another 16-year-old boy, who was waiting outside the store with a pit bull, ran toward the security guard while releasing the tension on the dog leash, Bates said.

The dog bit the guard in the left arm, and the teen with the dog brandished a knife at a customer who tried to help the guard, Bates said. A 14-year-old boy tried to free his friend from the guard's grasp and all three teens, and possible a fourth person, fled the scene, he added. 

A store patron who witnessed the fracas was able to identify one of the juveniles, according to police. Officers were then able to identify the other two teens involved by reviewing surveillance video, Bates said.

Officers found the pit bull at the teen's residence and took it to the Rohnert Park Animal Shelter for quarantine because it bit the officer, Bates said.

On Wednesday, the shoplifting suspect was located and arrested for petty theft, and the 14-year-old boy who helped his friend escape was arrested for being an accessory to a crime, Bates said.

Police know the identity of the 16-year-old boy who unleashed the pit bull and brandished a knife, and are still searching for him, Bates said. All three Rohnert Park teens were on juvenile probation.

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