Michael Vitar - H 2015
AP ImagesOne of the stars of the classic baseball film The Sandlot has been charged with assaulting a 22-year-old man on Halloween and faces up to four years in state prison if convicted.
Michael Anthony Vitar, who played Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez (aka “Benny the Jet”) in the 1993 film, was charged Tuesday with “one count of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury” stemming from an assault that took place on Oct. 31, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Along with two others, Vitar, 36, now a Los Angeles firefighter, is accused of assaulting a man handing out candy to kids while he walked down the street, according to the district attorney’s office.
The other suspects are Thomas Molnar and Eric Carpenter, a fellow Los Angeles firefighter.
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The men saw the victim handing out the candy then allegedly chased him down and jumped him before Carpenter allegedly choked him, according to the district attorney’s office.
A Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said two firefighters have been placed on paid administrative leave pending a criminal investigation, but he could not confirm their identities.
If convicted, Carpenter, charged with “personally inflicting great bodily injury,” faces up to seven years in state prison, according to the district attorney’s office. Vitar and Molnar face up to four years each in state prison.
The three are scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 21, 2016.
