A repeat shoplifter in a hijab was hauled out of a Peoria, Illinois Walmart after she refused to cooperate with officers and tried to shut down the arrest by pleading her Muslim faith, insisting “don’t touch,” and referencing Palestine.
Bodycam footage from March 28, 2026, shows officers from the Peoria area confronting the woman, identified in reports as 28-year-old Dina Awada, after Walmart loss prevention recognized her from a previous theft and stopped her as she tried to leave with roughly $139 in unpaid merchandise.
Officers ordered her into the office and asked for ID. She claimed limited English, demanded a manager, and insisted she needed to call her brother. When they told her to turn around and put her hands behind her back, she repeatedly refused.
“Don’t touch, please. Don’t touch,” she said, according to the video. She told officers she needed a woman to deal with her because she is Muslim and kept her hijab on. At one point she can be heard saying something about “Coming in Palestine in Chicago.”
The cops weren’t interested in the excuses. “We’re not doing this,” one officer said as they moved to take her into custody. They warned her she would pick up additional charges if she kept resisting.
Store staff had already flagged her as a known problem. Officers noted she had previously walked out with hundreds of dollars in merchandise from the same Walmart on North Allen Road. This time the total was smaller, but the recognition was immediate.
She was ultimately arrested on a retail theft charge and taken to the Peoria County Jail. The bodycam clip, which has circulated widely online, shows officers staying firm while she continued to stall, invoke religious reasons for not being handled by men, and push back against the detention.
No amount of “one minute” or claims about her faith or background kept the handcuffs off.
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