Conviction dismissed for former Bellingham police officer involved in family fight
The misdemeanor assault conviction of former Bellingham police officer Sukhdev Singh Dhaliwal for his role in a fight with two men at a Blaine business in mid-October 2017 was dismissed Tuesday, Dec. 17, in Whatcom County Superior Court.
“The fact that Mr. Dhaliwal was a police officer really — and he already knows this — cuts both ways in this case,” Judge Lee Grochmal said in issuing her ruling Tuesday. “It makes it less and more serious. I think Mr. Dhaliwal has a lot of promise, and it looks like he has a lot of support in the community and an opportunity to get beyond this ... and not have something like this happen again.
“On the other hand, the fact that it happened by a police officer is troubling and makes it more serious. We have a higher standard and expect better behavior from our law enforcement as opposed to everyone else in society.”
Dhaliwal, 33, was found guilty on Sept. 24, 2018, of misdemeanor fourth-degree assault but not guilty of felony second-degree assault.
Whatcom County Superior Court Judge Charles Snyder on Dec. 10, 2018, sentenced Dhaliwal to 30 days suspended, which was converted to 240 hours of community service. He had six months to complete his community service.
At the time of his sentencing, Snyder said he would consider dismissing the charges against Dhaliwal if he completed his community service and didn’t engage in criminal activity for one year.
Dhaliwal’s defense attorney, Doug Hyldahl, said that in addition to paying his fines, avoiding trouble and submitting “numerous” character witness letters, Dhaliwal completed 268 hours of community service within five months.
“Mr. Dhaliwal is a valued and productive member of our community, and he fits squarely in the category of those who deserve a second chance,” Hyldahl said Tuesday.
Skagit County prosecutor Haley Sebens opposed the motion, stating, “This was a very serious charge and obviously the circumstances of this, given Mr. Dhaliwal’s employment at the time … I don’t think he’s in a position of warranting or meriting any breaks from the court that would allow him to seek employment in law enforcement.”
In making her decision, Grochmal said she reviewed last year’s sentencing transcript from Snyder, who retired Feb. 28.
“It seemed pretty clear that he was leaning toward that, (dismissing the conviction) was something that he expected to happen if Mr. Dhaliwal followed all of his orders, which it appears he has,” Grochmal said, adding that she felt if she denied the motion, everyone would be back in court in two years when state statutes allow for misdemeanor convictions to be vacated.
The conviction
On Oct. 17, 2017, Dhaliwal and his brother, 38-year-old Jagmeet Dhaliwal, went to meet two men, Manjot Mann and Kanwar Sidhu, in Blaine at Mann’s workplace to discuss rumors Sidhu was allegedly spreading about a Dhaliwal family member.
Surveillance video showed Sukhdev Dhaliwal punch Mann outside the business when the brothers arrived before they all continued inside.
During the seven-day bench trial, Snyder found that Jagmeet Dhaliwal inflicted substantial bodily harm to Sidhu during a fight inside. Jagmeet Dhaliwal was found guilty of felony second-degree assault and misdemeanor fourth-degree assault, and he was sentenced to three months in jail..
Sukhdev Dhaliwal said he apologized to one of the victims. While he regretted being there that night, he said he was glad to have been able to intervene between his brother and the other victim.
“I wish I never chose to go. This night has changed my life, I think about it every day,” Dhaliwal said during the sentencing hearing.
Sukhdev Dhaliwal was fired by the Bellingham Police Department May 7, 2018, after allegations of misconduct were sustained during an internal investigation. Sukhdev Dhaliwal had been with the department since Oct. 1, 2015, and was also previously a Whatcom County Jail deputy for about four years. He has no prior criminal record.
The Bellingham Police Guild has filed a grievance about his firing.
This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 11:19 AM.
