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New Jersey man charged with indecent assault after groping Easter Bunny at Pittsburgh mall

By
Patrick Damp
Web Producer, CBS Pittsburgh
Patrick Damp is a web producer for CBS Pittsburgh. A Pittsburgh native who grew up watching KDKA-TV, Patrick studied journalism at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After half a decade in sports communication, Patrick decided to pursue his dream of working in journalism in his hometown and joined the CBS Pittsburgh team in 2019.
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Patrick Damp

/ CBS Pittsburgh

A New Jersey man is in legal trouble after he allegedly assaulted the Easter Bunny at the South Hills Village Mall. 

According to the criminal complaint, a woman working as the Easter Bunny on Monday at the mall was taking pictures with children and families when a man approached her and began to ask her questions, which she referred to an assistant. 

The man refused and began touching the woman dressed as the Easter Bunny's arm, then the top of her chest, and then grabbed her breasts. 

According to the assistant, prior to the alleged assault, he asked questions such as "Is it a boy or a girl?" Along with grabbing the woman dressed as the bunny, the man also began to put his fingers in the nose and mouth of the costume. 

After speaking with the victim and a witness, police reviewed security footage from the mall and were able to identify the suspect. 

He was later found in the AMC Theater next to the mall, and he was asleep in the top row of one of the auditoriums. 

As he was being taken into custody, according to the criminal complaint provided to KDKA-TV, he asked police, "Is it on the close to Five Below, the merchandise thing, the bunny?" After being read his Miranda Rights, he then asked the police, "It's a doll, right?" 

He was informed it was a person, not a doll, and said, "By mistake, my hand touched her, if it's a lady." 

The suspect was identified as 36-year-old Bera Shivakrishna after police were provided with a New Jersey driver's license that was on his person, and he is being charged with indecent assault. 

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