Tiger Attack Victim Arrested for Theft

The night before Paul Dhaliwal, 19, and his older brother Kulbir, 24, filed a claim against the city of San Francisco alleging serious injury and emotional harm, the younger Dhaliwal was arrested on suspicion of theft. The brothers filed the claim on Friday, also alleging that the PR firm the zoo hired defamed and humiliated them.

The text of their claim is available here (.PDF).

Paul Dhaliwal stuffed two Nintendo Wii controllers in his pants at the San Leandro Target store at approximately 6:30 PM Thursday night.

A police report said that plainclothes store security officer Michael Marucut witnessed the theft and followed Dhaliwal as he walked past the cash registers, "never making an attempt to pay for the concealed items."

According to Marucut, he and other guards confronted Dhaliwal, who "was uncooperative and immediately began to resist," according to a statement in the report.

Dhaliwal posted $1,500 bail shortly before 3 p.m. today, police said.

Although the claim by the brothers alleges defamation, it seems (as others have already stated) that the two aren't exactly angels. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the brothers have had several brushes with the law.

After that (Sept. 7, 2007) incident, both brothers were charged with public intoxication and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors. Paul Dhaliwal was also charged with misdemeanor battery on a police officer.

Paul Dhaliwal is accused of hitting an officer in the chest with his forearm as the officer tried to restrain him, leading to the battery charge. He stopped resisting only when an officer held a stun gun to his neck and threatened to use it, according to a police report.

Kulbir Dhaliwal cursed at officers while kicking the security partition in a squad car, forcing police to pull him out and put him in leg restraints, the police report states.

In February, Paul Dhaliwal pleaded not guilty to marijuana possession after being cited Dec. 21 for allegedly having 1.8 grams of marijuana in his pocket while in the parking lot of a Milpitas hotel.

He had been placed on probation three days before that incident after pleading no contest to felony reckless driving and other charges for leading police on a 140-mph chase on April 28, court records show.

So ... defamation eh? Defamation of an already tarnished character?

I guess it wasn't Paul's fault. The walls around the video controllers should have been higher to prevent them from jumping into his pants.

Perhaps its PTSD from the tiger attack that caused Paul to shoplift? Except that doesn't explain the prior history of bad behavior. Anyone besides me look at Paul's picture (above) and dislike the glint in his eyes?

Despite any injuries suffered by these brothers as well as the death of Carlos Sousa Jr., 17, I'm sorry ... I can't think but feel more sorry for Tatiana the tiger than for them.