Ex-'Scandal' actor pleads no contest to knocking man out, gets 3 years probation



LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former "Scandal" actor Columbus Short is avoiding jail time after pleading no contest to punching a man at a Los Angeles restaurant last year.

The Los Angeles County district attorney's office says Short entered the plea Thursday to a felony count of assault likely to cause great bodily injury. Short was sentenced to three years' probation and two months of community labor, and he must take 26 anger-management classes.

Short also will be ordered to pay restitution to the man he punched. The amount will be determined at an Oct. 21 hearing.

Short's attorney, Michael Levin, didn't immediately return messages seeking comment. Levin has previously said Short was acting in self-defense.

The actor left "Scandal" after being charged in the assault case and a separate domestic-violence case involving his estranged wife.