"Family Ties" Child Star Bonsall Arrested

The troubled 25-year old ex-child star of Must-See TV sitcom "Family Ties" and Young Artist Award winner Brian Bonsall, who played Andy Keaton on the NBC comedy, was taken into custody earlier this week for allegedly striking his girlfriend.

The police arrested Bonsall on Wednesday after his girlfriend said he poured an alcoholic drink on her face while she was sleeping, threw her onto a bed when she tried to escape and tried to choke her.

Bonsall told investigators he pushed the woman down in self-defense after she cut his arm and face with a steak knife, but she denied that, police said. The woman was also arrested, but then released, police said.


Bonsall, who lives in Boulder, appeared in the final three seasons of "Family Ties," the NBC sitcom that helped launch Michael J. Fox's career as the youngest child Andy Keaton who miraculously aged 5 years within one season.

The most adorable of the Keatons went on to appear in 7 episodes of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" as well as a number of made-for-TV movies before his career ended in 1994 and he and his parents moved out of Los Angeles.

Bonsall tried to get back into the entertainment business as a musician and founded the band "Late Bloomers" in 1998. Recently however he changed his image adding tattoos and fangs (!) and started a punk band called "Thruster."

The band split in December 2006.


Bonsall already has a colorful rap sheet - in 2001 he was convicted of drunken driving and his license was suspended.

Then in 2004 he was again arrested after police said they saw someone vomit out the passenger side window of his car.

Asked how much he had to drink, Bonsall responded, "Plenty," then failed a roadside test. Police said a blood test showed he had "excess alcohol content".

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