San Mateo Safeway shoplifting suspect arrested after fighting officer, police say
Officers of the San Mateo Police Department arrested a man on Tuesday for allegedly resisting arrest and threatening an officer after he was suspected of shoplifting from a Safeway store in San Mateo, the department said.
At 4:45 p.m. on Christmas Eve, police officers responded to a call from a Safeway located on the 1600 block of South El Camino Real. An employee reported a theft and told officers that the suspect had left the store.
After the employee gave a description of the suspect, officers searched the surrounding area and found him walking near the intersection of 17th and Palm Avenues in San Mateo.
Jose PirirBoch, a 41-year-old San Mateo resident, allegedly "grabbed a metal chain and swung it in the direction of an officer" as police approached him, the department said in a press release.
PirirBoch then allegedly began running northbound on Palm Avenue with officers chasing after him. As officers caught up to PirirBoch, he stopped running and apparently tried to fight officers.
His alleged combative behavior led an officer to discharge their taser, which stopped him from trying to fight with officers as suspected. He was detained and placed in handcuffs.
PirirBoch was medically evaluated at a hospital following the taser deployment. Once he was cleared, he was arrested and taken to the San Mateo County Jail.
He was booked into jail on suspicion of resisting arrest, threatening a police officer, and petty theft with an additional prior count of theft.
PirirBoch has been arrested previously for shoplifting. Resisting arrest is a felony and PirirBoch was given no bail amount.