Seal Activist Arrested at Children's Pool
By ERIC S. PAGE
Updated 2:15 PM PST, Tue, May 12, 2009
A man and his daughter made a citizen's arrest of a seal activist after, they said, the woman pulled the girl's hair and threw sand in the father's face, according to a published report.
San Diego police told the La Jolla Light that Marjane Aalam was taken into custody by police shortly after midnight on May 9 and charged wth assault and battery.
"The victim and his daughter were coming down the stairs to go to the beach, and [Aalam] warned them not to," San Diego police spokeswoman Monica Munoz told the paper. "They went to another beach and then came back and said they wanted to see the seals, and Marjane was still there, and she told them, 'You can't come down here, can't get near the seals.' And they said, 'Leave us alone, we have a right to be here.' "
On Sunday, Aalam told the paper she is part of a group that has been patrolling the beach at night in an effort to protect the marine mammals.
"People don't see the seals, they think they're rocks or seaweed," Aalam told the La Jolla Light.
Capt. Shelly Zimmerman said she told Aalam that "in no way is she authorized, by myself or anyone in the city, to assume responsibility for the Children's Pool, which is what she has tried to do. She has no authority to close the beach."
First Published: May 12, 2009 2:08 PM PST
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