Tiger attack victims both arrested again San Mateo

One of the Dahliwal brothers injured in the tiger attack leaves funeral services for 17-year-old Carlos Sousa, Jr. in San Jose, Calif. on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008. Sousa was killed in the Christmas Day tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo. PAUL CHINN/The Chronicle less One of the Dahliwal brothers injured in the tiger attack leaves funeral services for 17-year-old Carlos Sousa, Jr. in San Jose, Calif. on Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2008. Sousa was killed in the Christmas Day tiger ... more Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Photo: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Tiger attack victims both arrested again 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The two San Jose brothers who survived a Christmas Day 2007 tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo were arrested in San Mateo for misdemeanor violations after a traffic stop, the latest in a series of run-ins with the law, authorities said.

The brothers recently split what remained of a $900,000 settlement the zoo paid them in connection with the attack. Their arrests come two weeks after the older sibling, Kulbir Dhaliwal, 25, was booked on suspicion of felony cocaine possession after being stopped near San Jose State University.

The latest incident happened at 1:20 a.m. Wednesday when San Mateo police Officer Joseph Cassin stopped Dhaliwal for driving on a shoulder on-ramp to Highway 101 near Peninsula Avenue, said Steve Wagstaffe, San Mateo County's chief deputy district attorney. Dhaliwal's passenger was his brother, Amritpal "Paul" Dhaliwal, 21.

The officer smelled the odor of marijuana in the car and saw an open bottle of Grey Goose vodka inside, Wagstaffe said. It was the same brand of vodka that San Francisco police found in Kulbir Dhaliwal's car after the tiger attack, authorities said.

Kulbir Dhaliwal failed a series of field-sobriety tests and had a blood-alcohol level of 0.10 percent, authorities said. The level that constitutes drunken driving is 0.08 percent. When the officer asked Amritpal Dhaliwal for his identification, he lied and said he was Tarlok Dhaliwal, his 26-year-old brother who had also been arrested in the incident near San Jose State, authorities said.

Kulbir Dhaliwal, meanwhile, "joined in the lie" and also said his passenger was Tarlok Dhaliwal, Wagstaffe said.

Cassin and Sgt. Dave Norris eventually obtained the proper identification and learned that Amritpal Dhaliwal was on parole and was trying to hide his identity, Wagstaffe said.

On Thursday, Amritpal Dhaliwal pleaded no contest to providing false identification, a misdemeanor, and was sentenced to 10 days in jail. His sentence will run concurrently with any sentence he will receive for a parole violation. Kulbir Dhaliwal was charged with misdemeanor drunken driving and released on his own recognizance.

On July 22, Kulbir Dhaliwal was arrested on suspicion of possessing about 3 grams of cocaine after a car he was riding in was pulled over while heading the wrong way on a street next to the San Jose State campus, police said. Kulbir Dhaliwal had to be held down for authorities to take a blood sample.

During the same car stop, his brother, Tarlok Dhaliwal, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.

At the time of the tiger attack, both Kulbir and Amritpal Dhaliwal were facing charges of public intoxication and resisting arrest stemming from a Sept. 7, 2007, scuffle with San Jose police, during which Kulbir Dhaliwal had to be put in restraints. They were later convicted.

Amritpal Dhaliwal also has a series of other criminal convictions, including one for leading police on a 140-mph chase through San Jose in April 2007.