Mike Vitar, aka Benny from The Sandlot movie, has been arrested – and another childhood memory is crushed. Vitar, who is a firefighter, was charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon after beating a man who was giving out candies on Halloween.
Actor Michael Vitar, better known as Benny, has been arrested. The world – make that the universe – remembers Vitar as the adorable Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez, who played baseball with a group of friends and got into serious trouble when they jumped over a fence to face an enormous dog named The Beast in the hit movie The Sandlot.
These days, Vitar, who is a firefighter with the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) since 2002, is in the news for all the wrong reasons. Last week, Vitar was arrested and hit with some serious charges including assault with a deadly weapon. Vitar, 36, a married father of three, was briefly detained and released after paying his $30,000 bail.
According to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department, on Halloween night, Vitar and a fellow off-duty firefighter, Eric Carpenter, and a third friend, Thomas Molnar, who might have been intoxicated attacked a 22-year-old walking down the street handing out candy randomly to kids.
Court documents showed that Carpenter repeatedly choked the young man, who begged him to stop and explained that he was not a “creep,” and he was visiting the neighborhood where he grew up. Arthur Avazian, Molnar’s attorney, defended his client by saying the trio was protecting innocent children from a potential pervert. The lawyer stated:
“They believed he posed a danger to children in the area by trying to pass out candy against the consent of the adults. These are really good people, two firefighters and my client who is successful businessman.”
A spokesman for LAFD confirmed that both Vitar and Carpenter have been placed on administrative leave with pay as the case advances. The LAFD said:
“The LAFD is aware of an incident involving two off-duty firefighters that is alleged to have occurred on Saturday, October 31st,”. “The department has cooperated fully with law enforcement during the subsequent investigation.”
If convicted, Carpenter faces up to seven years in prison, while Vitar and Molnar face up to four years. Vitar, who started acting at 12 years old, also appeared in D2: The Mighty Ducks and D3: The Mighty Ducks. He retired in 1997.
