Charges: Sandlot Actor Attacked Man Handing Out Candy

In real life Benny 'The Jet' Rodriguez grew up to be a firefighter
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 8, 2015 6:58 PM CST
Charges: Sandlot Actor Attacked Man Handing Out Candy
Michael Vitar as Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez in "The Sandlot." He may or may not have made the same face when he was charged with assault this month.   (YouTube)

He outran the Beast, but he might not be fast enough to escape the long arm of the law. NBC News reports Michael Vitar—who played Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez in 1993's The Sandlot—was arrested last week and charged with beating a man handing out candy on Halloween. Prosecutors say Vitar—now a firefighter—was at a Halloween party in Los Angeles when he, a fellow firefighter, and a neighbor became upset that a 22-year-old man was walking down the street and handing out candy to children, according to the Los Angeles Times. The three men allegedly chased the victim down and "jumped" him.

The Times reports the victim was visiting his grandmother at the time of the attack. According to NBC, he grew up in the neighborhood. If convicted, Vitar faces up to four years in prison, the Times reports. In the meantime, he's been suspended with pay by the Los Angeles Fire Department. In The Sandlot, Vitar's character grew up to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers. But with an annual salary of more than $100,000, he's not doing too bad as a firefighter either. Nineties kids might also remember Vitar from two of the Mighty Ducks films. (More child actors stories.)

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