Scandal star Columbus Short’s neighbor obtains temporary restraining order against actor after clash

A restraining order against Columbus Short was issued after a neighbor of the Scandal actor said he threatened him on multiple occasions.

The 40-year-old actor’s neighbor was granted the restraining order after an incident last weekend in which he said Columbus got in his face, TMZ reported, citing court docs.

The neighbor told the court that Short – who has been seen on shows such as Scandal, That’s So Raven and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – called himself a ‘killer’ and said he would beat him up while he was with his child.

The neighbor said that in the incident, the Kansas City, Missouri native grabbed his wrist and attempted to enter his home. He said that a similar run-in with Short occurred two days after that.

A judge granted the neighbor a temporary restraining order that mandates Short to keep at least 15 feet away from the neighbor, his spouse and his daughter.

It was not immediately clear what the altercation centered over, according to the outlet.

Short, who has been seen in films such as Whiteout and Stomp the Yard, faced legal problems earlier this year in February when he was arrested in Los Angeles amid a fight with his wife.

Details: The 40-year-old actor’s neighbor was granted the restraining order after an incident last weekend in which he said Columbus got in his face, TMZ reported, citing court docs; seen in November 2020 in Atlanta

Two misdemeanors he was charged with in the incident were later dropped, as Columbus later told the outlet, ‘They dismissed the case from what I was told because the prosecutor felt there was no wrongdoing.’ 

After prosecutors reviewed domestic violence and child endangerment charges filed against Short, they opted not to charge the 40-year-old, the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office told TMZ last month. 

‘I knew when I was charged it was stupid but based on past allegations. They jump to the worst conclusion, as does the media,’ he said.

Short reportedly praised prosecutors as ‘fair’ and ‘rational,’ and he claimed that he had never ‘abused a woman.’

The actor has a history with domestic abuse, and in 2018 he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to jail time for striking his current wife Aida Abramyan-Short, whom he married in 2016.

Yikes: Short was previously charged with misdemeanor counts of domestic violence and one for child endangerment in February, according to TMZ

In 2014, he was arrested twice for alleged domestic violence incidents against his former wife Tanee McCall.

That year he was also arrested for allegedly getting into a bar fight. 

The recently dropped charges reportedly followed an argument with his wife Aida that allegedly became physical earlier in February.

The Scandal star was accused of trying to grab his spouse’s phone, which resulted in him scratching her hand. 

Short reportedly did not have any marks or bruises from the incident, which is said to have occurred in front of a child.

On February 6, he spoke about his arrest in a tweet, which read: ‘Marriages are challenging but getting through it is the blessing! I AM not a abusive man nor am I on drugs but drinking alcohol makes my words unholy sometimes. My wife and I are working on our marriage.’

He also linked to a since-deleted Instagram video, in which he attempted to clear his name. 

‘I know there’s some stuff out here in the media again, arrested for felony domestic violence, but let me tell you what really happened,’ he began. 

Speaking out: On February 6, he spoke about his arrest in a tweet, which read: ‘Marriages are challenging but getting through it is the blessing! I AM not a abusive man nor am I on drugs but drinking alcohol makes my words unholy sometimes. My wife and I are working on our marriage’

Telling his side: He also linked to a since-deleted Instagram video, in which he attempted to clear his name and explain what ‘really happened’

Columbus continued: ‘I asked my wife to leave the home due to my frustration and I grabbed her phone, which I shouldn’t have [done] and I scratched her hand.’

‘Post-OJ, the police came here, detectives were here, it was a whole just ridiculous thing,’ he whined. 

Ultimately, he claimed the authorities ‘had to make a decision’ on whether to arrest him or Abramyan. 

Troubling: Short reportedly did not have any marks or bruises from the incident, which is said to have occurred in front of a child

‘Based on that scratch, I went to jail,’ the actor said in the video, re-shared by The Shade Room. ‘I’m sorry for anybody that I let down. I’m grinding, I’m working hard, but, my apologies.’ 

It is unclear if the minor that witnessed the fight was their son or one of his kids from past marriages to first wife Brandi Short and second wife, Tanee McCall. 

In 2018, Short was sentenced to serve a year in jail on domestic assault charges after beating Abramyan, who he married in 2016. 

He only ended up serving 34 days of his 365 jail sentence.

Scary: It is unclear if the minor that witnessed the fight was one of their sons or kids from past marriages to first wife Brandi Short and second wife, Tanee McCall

At the time, he was already on probation for knocking a man out in a bar fight.

Four years prior to that conviction, Short was charged with domestic violence by his then-wife Tanee McCall, after putting a knife to her throat.  

The charges were later dismissed, but Tanee filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences and she claimed sole custody of their daughter Ayala.

Due to his troubled past, Short was forced to leave the ABC’s political thriller Scandal in 2014.

The announcement of his exit from the series followed his spousal battery charge along with accusing him of felony battery that seriously injured a man during an altercation at a West Hollywood restaurant.

Short has also publicly suffered from substance abuse, which is an other reason the star was forced to leave the hit show.

Prior to his 2018 jail sentence, the Stomp the Yard actor served a week in jail in 2016, after failing a drug test and violating his previous probation.