WEST HOLLYWOOD—Eliot Preschutti, 52, has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Authorities allege a dispute between Preschutti and another individual escalated into a physical altercation, during which Preschutti struck the individual with a shovel. The altercation reportedly occurred on Holloway Drive between Hancock and Westmount in West Hollywood, the WeHo Times first reported.
Preschutti was arrested by deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s West Hollywood Station on Tuesday, August 4. He was booked on a felony allegation of attempted murder under California Penal Code Section 187(a). His bail is currently set at $2 million, and he remains in custody.
Preschutti is the founder of the Improv Academy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has appeared in projects including The All Nighter Hour, The Gentleman Don La Mancha, and Banshee.
Preschutti has faced criminal charges involving alleged violence in the past. In 2008, while working as a drama instructor at Penn State, he was charged with felony aggravated assault, simple assault, harassment, and criminal mischief, following a report that he assaulted a former girlfriend.
In August 2009, he was charged with four counts of victim intimidation and one count of retaliation against a victim. He pleaded guilty to those charges and was sentenced to time served, along with a small fine and one day of community service.
If convicted as currently charged, Preschutti faces a range of 5-9 years in state prison if prosecutors do not allege the attack was premeditated. If a judge or jury finds the attack was willful, deliberate, and premeditated, he could instead face a sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole.
By Milan Manesh