‘Scandal’ actor Columbus Short accused of punching man in nose
An actor on the hit TV show “Scandal” is accused of punching a man in the nose and knocking him out at a West L.A. restaurant.
Columbus Keith Short, 31, was arrested Wednesday and prosecutors charged him with felony battery with serious bodily injury in the March 15 incident.
Short sucker-punched the man after becoming involved in a disagreement, prosecutors allege. He was booked by Claremont police and released on $50,000 bail.
Short, who plays one of character Olivia Pope’s crisis management experts, Harrison Wright, faces up to four years in prison if convicted of the felony charge. The alleged attack occurred at Gabe’s Bar and Grill.
Short, a onetime choreographer for Britney Spears, had in recent years built a career as a TV actor, but his off-screen actions have repeatedly landed him in jail.
He was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in July 2008, Los Angeles police records show. He was arrested again July 19, 2010, on suspicion of battery with great bodily injury and later in connection with failing to appear on a court case.
Short was convicted of disturbing the peace and placed on three years’ probation, court records show. He was arrested and charged last month with battery on a former spouse at his former Woodland Hills home. He pleaded not guilty.
richard.winton@latimes.com
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