Actor on Trial in Hit-Run Incident

Movie actor C. Thomas Howell goes on trial today on five misdemeanor counts, including hit and run, brandishing a weapon and making a terrorist threat, for a run-in with a skateboarder in December in Reseda.

City prosecutors say Howell, 34, of Newhall struck a 20-year-old skateboarder with his Ford pickup truck Dec. 9, then fled and returned with a hammer and threatened to hit him.

The skateboarder, Shawn C. Burgess, received minor injuries, Deputy City Atty. Brian Michaels said.

Michaels said Howell told Burgess, “I’m going to kill you if you call the police.” Then the two men left the scene.

The men saw each other again Dec. 27, and Howell challenged Burgess to a fight, Michaels said.

If convicted, Howell faces more than four years in jail.

Lawyers spent Monday selecting jurors in Van Nuys. With each new prospective juror, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Kathryne Stoltz asked if they recognized Howell or if his celebrity would affect their judgment.

Among his biggest roles, Howell played Pony Boy Curtis in “The Outsiders,” and Tyler in “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.”

Outside the courtroom, Howell said he had acted in self-defense. He said he picked up a hammer after Burgess pushed his skateboard toward Howell’s chest, forcing the actor to step backward toward his truck.

He denied hitting Burgess with his truck. “There was no contact whatsoever,” Howell said, adding the two men did exchange “angry words.”

Howell said Burgess is trying to take advantage of the actor’s movie stardom. “If I was a gardener,” he said, “this would not be happening.”