Former ‘Scandal’ star pleads no contest to assault; won’t face jail time

Actor Columbus Short, who once starred in the ABC show “Scandal,” pleaded no contest Thursday to assaulting a man at a West Los Angeles restaurant.

Short, 33, entered the plea to a felony count of assault likely to cause bodily injury, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

A onetime choreographer for Britney Spears, Short was accused of punching a man at Gabe’s Bar and Grill and rendering him unconscious. Short allegedly sucker-punched the man after becoming involved in a disagreement, prosecutors allege.

L.A. County Superior Court Judge Leslie Brown sentenced the actor to three years’ probation along with 60 days of community labor. He is also required to attend 26 anger management classes.

Some of Short’s other off-camera acts have landed him in jail. He was arrested for drunk driving in July 2008, LAPD records show.

He was arrested again July 19, 2010, on suspicion of battery with great bodily injury and later for failing to appear on a court case. Short was convicted of disturbing the peace and placed on three years’ probation, court records show.

In April 2014, Short announced that he was not returning for the fourth season of “Scandal,” which stars Kerry Washington as a Washington, D.C., fixer.

For breaking news in California, follow @MattHjourno.

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