Men shot by off-duty sheriff's deputy charged with crimes

PASADENA -- Prosecutors Friday charged two men shot and wounded by an off-duty sheriff's deputy last week and dismissed charges against two others, officials said.

Mark Lewis, 27, of Temple City and Aaron Beierschmitt, 24, of Redondo Beach, were shot and wounded just before 1 a.m. on March 26 after they allegedly confronted, threatened and assaulted an off-duty sheriff's deputy as he waited at the drive-through of a Del Taco restaurant in the 200 block of South Rosemead Boulevard in an unincorporated county area near Pasadena, according to Los Angeles County sheriff's and District Attorney's officials said.

Lewis and Beierschmitt, who both received non-life-threatening wounds after being shot by the deputy, were charged with assaulting a peace officer and two counts each of making criminal threats, Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said.

Four men were inside a car that pulled up behind the deputy's, sheriff's officials said in a written statement.

"(Lewis and Beierschmitt) exited their vehicle and, for unknown reasons, accosted the deputy," according to to the sheriff's statement.

The off-duty deputy then exited his vehicle as well, and shot Lewis and Beierschmitt, officials said. No weapons were recovered at the scene.

The district attorney's office rejected charges sought against the two other men who were with Lewis and Beierschmitt, but did not exit their car, due to insufficient evidence, Gibbons said.

Sheriff's officials have released no further details regarding the confrontation between the off-duty deputy and the suspects.

If convicted as charged, Lewis could face more than five years in state prison, officials said. Beierschmitt, who has a previous "strike" for an attempted robbery conviction, faces up to 16 years in prison if convicted as charged.