"Sandlot" star Mike Vitar will avoid prison time for a near-fatal attack wherein a 23-year-old man nearly died.
The nostalgic star who played Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez took a plea deal to avoid going to the big house, pleading no contest to misdemeanor battery, according to TMZ. Had he chose to fight the charge in court, he could have been facing four years in prison for felony assault, if convicted.
The incident stemmed from a fight on Halloween night in 2015. Mike, who is a firefighter now, and two of his other firefighting pals saw a man passing out candy on the street of his gated Los Angeles community. For whatever reason, the three firefighters suspected that tainted candy was being handed out to the kids, so they decided to confront the man named Samuel Chang. Soon, a fight ensued.
Arresting documents claim Mike didn't initiate the fight, but joined in during the scuffle.
The beating was brutal. TMZ said the victim's pulse stopped and the firefighters had to get their gear and revive him. After being revived, he was taken to the hospital for injuries that included burst blood vessels in the eye, bleeding on the brain, kidney failure and hemorrhaging due to suffocation.
The victim actually recorded the beatdown on his cell phone.
Mike and his fellow firefighters told police that they believed the victim was under the influence of drugs, but no drugs were found in his system when he was admitted into the hospital.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, the former movie star will have to complete 90 days of community service and take weekly anger management classes for a year. In addition, he also has to pay a $2,000 fine. He also will be required to pay restitution to the victim, although the amount has yet to be determined.