Zach Galligan has trouble following the rules.
He didn't obey the ones about keeping his pet Mogwai away from water, exposing him to bright light or feeding him after midnight in 1984's Gremlins.
However, Gremlins' snuggly carnage is nothing compared to the actor's current legal woes. The star of director Joe Dante's comic horror hit was arrested Wednesday for attempting to pilfer a Deep Purple CD from a West Hollywood Tower Records store.
Galligan, 38, was nabbed by store security in the Tower parking lot on the Sunset Strip after he allegedly pocketed the disc and walked out without paying for it.
"He was observed by security placing the compact disc in his person," said Los Angeles County sheriff's sergeant Bruce Thomas. "After he concealed it, Galligan walked out of the store at which time store security then detained him...then handcuffed him and took him back inside."
The thespian was then transferred into police custody and taken down to the local sheriff's station where he was booked on a petty theft shoplifting charge and released four hours later.
"It was a routine shoplifting arrest. We do 'em all day, every day," Jay Smith, Tower's general manager, told the Associated Press. "We had no idea who he was until after the fact. We don't single anybody out."
After his arrest, Galligan did own up to his boneheaded move, reportedly telling deputies, "This is stupidest thing I've ever done."
Now he'll have to explain to the district attorney why he didn't just buy the disc in the first place since, according to Thomas, he had the money and credit cards in his wallet to do so. (Is he hoping his sticky-fingered bust will result in some Winona Ryder-worthy coverage from the press?)
After his successful launch with Gremlins, Galligan went on to appear in over 30 unmemorable films, including the 1990 sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch and made the rounds of the guest-star circuit on several TV shows including Seventh Heaven and Star Trek: Voyager. He also starred in the Broadway production of Biloxi Blues.
No word when he's due in court.