Robert Leo Mewhorter pleads no contest to 2018 Surfside shooting
By Sam Catanzaro
A 48-year-old man has pleaded no contest to shooting a man during an argument at the Surfside Bar and Grill in Venice bar in 2018.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney, Robert Leo Mewhorter, a transient, entered the plea to one count of attempted murder and admitted allegations of using a handgun and causing great bodily injury.
On March 7, 2018, Mewhorter got into an argument at Surfside Bar and Grill at 23 Windward Ave. The defendant left and returned soon after and opened fire outside the bar, injuring the victim. According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Mewhorter “fired nine rounds at the victim, who was struck multiple times in the upper body.”
The following day, LAPD arrested Mewhorter in connection with the shooting. Identified from video footage and witness descriptions, Mewhorter was spotted the next day near an encampment where he lived on Grand Avenue in Venice. According to the LAPD, Mewhorter was living in the encampment.
Sentencing is scheduled on Jan. 15 in Department W70 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, Airport Branch. Mewhorter faces 22 years in state prison.
