I thought people only did this on TV

Man Fakes Heart Attacks to Skip Bills

WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) -- Police are accusing a Milwaukee-area man of faking heart attacks to avoid paying restaurant bills and cab fares.

Police say the man took a cab to a mall Monday and pretended to have a heart attack. The cab driver left without being paid.

Authorities say the man then had a steak dinner at Applebee's and ran up a $23 bill. He again pretended to have a heart attack.

This time the fire department took him to a hospital. A doctor there recognized the man as having pulled the same stunt in the past few weeks.

He's been charged with defrauding a restaurant as a habitual criminal. He could get up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine.

Well, heck, the guy probably didn't have any money, what with him getting fired after he tried to skip work to attend his grandmotherr's funeral for the fifth time.