By IANS,
Washington : An Indian American actor accused in the vicious attack on a former girlfriend in San Marcos over the weekend is being held in county jail on attempted murder charges and $2 million bail.
Shelley Malil, 43, who played the character “Haziz” in the 2005 hit movie “40 Year Old Virgin”, is scheduled to be arraigned in Vista Superior Court Wednesday afternoon, the San Diego Union Tribune reported.
No motive for the attack has been given and the woman’s current condition has not been released, it said citing a Sheriff’s Department spokesman Tuesday.
Malil is originally from India and emigrated to the United States with his family in 1974, according to a biography on the movie data base Web site IMDB.com. The actor came to Hollywood in 1995 and later played a role as one of the “What are you doing?!” guys in Budweiser’s “Whassup?!” commercials.
He has also had roles in the upcoming films “Columbus Day” starring Val Kilmer and Marg Helgenberger and “Crossing Over” with Harrison Ford, Sean Penn and Ashley Judd, according to IMDB. Malil also appeared on several television shows including “Scrubs”, “Reba” and “NYPD Blue”.
The comedic actor, who lives in Sherman Oaks, a suburb of Los Angeles, was arrested Monday about 6:15 p.m. at the Oceanside Amtrak station, the Tribune said citing Sheriff’s Lt. Phil Brust.
He had travelled from Los Angeles to North County to meet with an attorney and was persuaded to turn himself in by friends, family and his lawyer, Brust said.
Malil is accused in the brutal assault on a woman he dated and was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, burglary and mayhem, Brust said. The relationship with the woman had recently ended, the spokesman said.
Deputies were called to the house on Shadetree Drive, near Weatherwood Court, Sunday about 9 p.m. when neighbours reported hearing the sound of glass breaking and a woman screaming.
When deputies arrived, they found the victim suffering from more than 20 stabs wounds and severe lacerations to her face. She was hospitalised in critical condition on Sunday but is expected to survive, Brust said.