San Francisco Zoo Tiger Attack Police Interview Tapes Released
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) _ For the first time, we're hearing from the two brothers that were involved in the fatal San Francisco Zoo tiger attack on Christmas Day three years ago.
The never before released police interview, conducted hours after the mauling, was obtained by the San Francisco Examiner.
From his hospital bed, 23-year-old Kulbir Dhaliwal told police inspector Valerie Mathews and a sergeant what happened just after the zoo closed on Christmas Day of 2007.
KCBS' Anna Duckworth Reports:
"I saw my brother getting attacked by a tiger," he said in the interview.
He said Tatiana the tiger made no noises, no growls before leaping in one hop out of her enclosure and attacking his 19-year-old brother Paul.
"My brother was trying to help out and get him loose and scare him away," he told police. "But when he let go of my brother, he attacked one of my friends."
The friend, 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr., was killed. Paul Dhaliwal, who was also interviewed at the hospital, told investigators that the trio had been eating nachos near the tigers.
"Had you thrown anything at the tiger to get his attention? Any food or anything?" police asked. "How can you throw some nachos at the tiger?" Dhaliwal said.
the brothers have never spoken to the media about the attack. Both the Sousa and Dhaliwal families have settled lawsuits against the zoo regarding the incident.
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