Three men, including two off-duty Los Angeles City firefighters, have been charged with assaulting a man on Halloween, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced on Tuesday.
Eric Carpenter, 38, 36-year-old Michael Anthony Vitar and Thomas Molnar, 45, were scheduled to be arraigned today, but the court appearance was continued to Jan. 21 in Department 100 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Van Nuys Branch.
They are charged in case LA082328 with one count each of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury. Carpenter is charged with personally inflicting great bodily injury on the victim.
Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Chung with the Major Crimes Division is prosecuting the case.
Carpenter, an L.A. city firefighter, was hosting a Halloween party on Oct. 31 attended by Vitar, another off-duty firefighter, and Molnar, a neighbor. Vitar is also a former child actor, as NBC-LA pointed out.
He is best known for the role of Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez in the popular ’90’s film “The Sandlot.”
The three allegedly became upset when a 22-year-old man visiting his grandmother in the area was handing out candy to kids as he walked down the street, the prosecutor said.
After chasing the victim down the street, the three defendants reportedly jumped him. They then allegedly forced the victim to the ground before Carpenter choked him, according to the prosecutor.
If convicted, Carpenter faces up to seven years in state prison. Vitar and Molnar face up to four years each in state prison.
