Actor Bridges Acquitted on 2 Counts in Gun Attack

Actor Todd Bridges, who appeared on the “Diff’rent Strokes” television series, was acquitted Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court of charges of attempted murder and attempted voluntary manslaughter in the shooting of a convicted Texas drug dealer.

Jurors deliberated 2 1/2 days in finding Bridges, 24, not guilty on the two counts.

But the panel deadlocked on a third charge of assault with a deadly weapon and were sent back to deliberate. At about 4:20 p.m., a court clerk announced that those deliberations would resume at 9 a.m. today.

As the two not-guilty verdicts were read, Bridges stood with his head bowed. When he heard he had been acquitted of the attempted murder charge, he raised his head and took a deep breath and looked greatly relieved.

“Todd feels great,” his attorney, Johnnie Cochran, said later.

In the trial, Bridges testified that he was so intoxicated after a four-day cocaine binge that he could not remember shooting Kenneth (Tex) Clay, 25, at a “rock house” in South-Central Los Angeles.

Bridges claimed that he was using about 14 grams of cocaine a day at the time of the shooting in February.

Clay, who survived eight gunshot wounds, described himself as a bodyguard for the owner of the house where Bridges lived. He testified that he and Bridges had argued. He said the actor and an associate kicked open the door, and Bridges stood over him and repeatedly shot him with a small-caliber handgun, while yelling, “I told you, Tex! I told you, Tex!”

Cochran said he was “very elated” with the not-guilty verdicts and expressed optimism that his client also will be acquitted of the remaining assault charge.

“What we’ve said all along is that Todd, after going in the house, blacked out,” the lawyer said.

Cochran said that when he took the case, his client’s bail had been set at $2 million--which was later reduced to $1 million--and the case appeared hopeless.

“Needless to say, Todd has a lot of faith in the American system of justice,” Cochran said.

Bridges’ girlfriend, Becky San Filipo, who has attended the court proceedings daily since they began two weeks ago, said Bridges plans to counsel children on the dangers of drug abuse.

“He told me before the verdicts came out that he is going to do volunteer work,” she said. “He wants to work on anti-drug campaigns for kids.”

The prosecutor, Deputy Dist. Atty. William Hodgman, said he would not comment until the verdict on the third charge is reached.