‘Scandal’ gladiator Columbus Short arrested after bar fight
“Scandal” star Columbus Short has been arrested after a bar fight that left a man brutally beaten.
Oh, it’s a “Scandal” all right.
The actor, 31, who plays “gladiator” Harrison Wright on the ABC drama, was taken into custody Wednesday by police in Claremont and was released after posting the $50,000 bail a judge had set Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Prosecutors accused Short of committing felony battery with serious bodily injury for allegedly punching the man and knocking him out.
The incident took place March 15 at Gabe’s Bar and Grill in Rancho Park, according to TMZ, where authorities say the actor got into a fight with a 37-year-old man who reportedly bad-mouthed Short’s wife.
A felony complaint for an arrest warrant was filed Tuesday, accusing the actor of aggravated assault. He could face a maximum of four years in state prison if found guilty, the district attorney’s office said.
Witnesses told TMZ that after “sucker punching” the man, Short left the victim unconscious and took off. An ambulance reportedly took the man to a nearby hospital, and a photo showing him badly beaten lying on the ground was later leaked to the site.
Short has had a long history with violent altercations.
In February, he pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor spousal battery, and at a March 5 hearing was ordered to stay away from his wife, Tuere Short.
She filed for divorce last year but dismissed the petition earlier this year, the Associated Press reported.
In June 2010, the actor pleaded no contest to felony battery charges stemming from an altercation with a man at an L.A. Fitness gym. The charges were were later reduced to disturbing the peace, and the actor was put on three years’ informal probation, which required him to not threaten or use violence on anyone, according to AP and TMZ.
An arraignment date has yet to be set for the latest case.
Now, if only Olivia Pope were real ...
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