Dominic Bando is the man who attacked actor Jason Momoa with a pint glass at a Hollywood bar in November 2008, leaving the Stargate Atlantis star with roughly 140 stitches and a permanent scar across his left eyebrow. Bando, then 21 and living in Venice, California, pleaded no contest to felony assault with a deadly weapon and was sentenced in October 2009 to five years in state prison.1UPI. Stargate Assailant Gets 5 Years in Jail
What Happened at the Bar
The attack took place on the night of November 15, 2008, at Birds, a bar and restaurant on Franklin Avenue in Hollywood.2NBC Los Angeles. Man Pleads Not Guilty to Assaulting Stargate Atlantis Actor An altercation broke out between the two men, and Bando smashed a pint beer glass into Momoa’s face. The glass shattered on impact and sliced open the left side of Momoa’s brow.3San Diego Union-Tribune. Man Charged With Hitting Stargate Actor
Momoa needed reconstructive surgery and received approximately 140 stitches. Bando also cut his own hand on the broken glass and was treated with 15 stitches across four separate wounds.2NBC Los Angeles. Man Pleads Not Guilty to Assaulting Stargate Atlantis Actor
The Charge and Arraignment
Los Angeles County prosecutors charged Bando with felony assault with a deadly weapon under California Penal Code Section 245.3San Diego Union-Tribune. Man Charged With Hitting Stargate Actor He was arraigned on December 10, 2008, in Los Angeles Superior Court and pleaded not guilty.2NBC Los Angeles. Man Pleads Not Guilty to Assaulting Stargate Atlantis Actor
Although Bando had already posted bail on the assault charge, Commissioner Kristi Lousteau ordered him taken into custody and held without bail. He was on probation at the time for a firearm case out of the city of San Fernando, and the probation hold overrode the bail he had posted.4Whittier Daily News. Venice Man Pleads Not Guilty to Assaulting Actor
The Plea and the Five-Year Sentence
Bando did not go to trial. He changed his plea to no contest on the assault with a deadly weapon charge and admitted an allegation that he had personally inflicted great bodily injury on Momoa.5Los Angeles Times. Man Who Attacked Stargate Atlantis Star Gets Five-Year Prison Sentence For sentencing, a no contest plea carries the same weight as a guilty plea even though the defendant does not formally admit guilt.
In October 2009, Judge Judith Champagne of Los Angeles Superior Court imposed a five-year state prison sentence. A restitution hearing to set what Bando owed Momoa for medical expenses and other damages was scheduled for the following month.1UPI. Stargate Assailant Gets 5 Years in Jail
The five-year term reflects the structure of California’s assault statute combined with a bodily injury enhancement. Assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm carries a base term of two, three, or four years in state prison.6California Legislative Information. Penal Code Section 245 Penal Code Section 12022.7 adds years on top of that base when a defendant personally inflicts significant physical harm during a felony.7Justia. CALCRIM No. 3160 – Great Bodily Injury Momoa’s reconstructive surgery and stitch count made the enhancement straightforward to establish.
What the Attack Left Behind
Momoa carries a permanent scar across his left brow where hair no longer grows. In a 2011 interview with Access Hollywood, he described the night directly: “It was crazy. A guy smashed a pint glass in my face. I got a little over 140 stitches in my face.”8Yahoo. The Wild Story Behind Jason Momoa’s Scar
He has said the altered look pushed his career in a direction he preferred. “I got called ‘pretty boy’ my whole life,” he told the New York Post in 2011. “If anything, it’s like, ‘Good.’ It’s not my thing now.”9Men’s Health Australia. This Is How Jason Momoa Got That Scar on His Face The rougher appearance accompanied his move into the physical roles that followed, including Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones and the lead in Conan the Barbarian.8Yahoo. The Wild Story Behind Jason Momoa’s Scar