Bieber Fever must have really infected a Florida man who was arrested over the weekend for trying to steal a life-size Justin Bieber cutout, police said.
David Dowling, 23, was busted in Bradenton on Saturday after he tried to run out of a store with the cardboard cutout of the teen heartthrob tucked under his arm, an arrest report stated.
The report claims Dowling made it clear to the other side of the mall with his pilfered goods, all the while being chased by a female store employee.
Dowling and an unidentified friend couldn't shake the employee and eventually were caught and gave back the cutout, worth $34.99, the report stated.
Then, Dowling and his friend bolted again but were caught by mall security, the report stated.
After being arrested, Dowling told police he was a 17-year-old named David Michael Tan, but police found his ID with his real name.
When asked why he took the cardboard Bieber, Dowling's response couldn't have been too shocking to Manatee County Sheriff's deputies.
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"We were just having fun holding Justin Bieber hostage," he said, according to the arrest report.
Dowling, who sports a very Bieber-esque hairdo in his mug shot, wasn't charged with kidnapping but he was arrested for shoplifting. He was released on $120 bond Monday.
It was unclear if he had an attorney.
