Justin Martin will be doing his singing behind bars for a while.
The “High School Musical 3” star has been sentenced to 18 months in the house of correction after pleading guilty to multiple charges on Tuesday, the Suffolk County, Massachusetts district attorney’s office told TheWrap on Tuesday.
Martin pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building.
In addition to the 18-month sentence, Martin will be subjected to one year of probation, during which must remain drug- and alcohol-free and stay away from the location of his offense.
The actor was arrested in July 2015 after an alleged shootout with police. Law enforcement authorities said that officers were patrolling in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston when they heard gunfire erupt and observed Martin running down the street with a gun in his hand.
Police pursued the actor after he pointed the gun at them. At the time, a second suspect began to fire multiple shots at the officers.
Martin was fired upon but not struck, police said. After taking the actor to the ground, they recovered a loaded .22-caliber handgun.
A second suspect, described as a juvenile male, approached the police while carrying a loaded .25-caliber handgun, and was subdued and taken into custody.
The district attorney’s office had recommended a sentence of three years in state prison followed by three years of probation.
In a statement provided to TheWrap, Martin acknowledged that he “should have acted more responsibly and taken my choices more seriously” but added that “one mistake doesn’t have to define your life.”
“I have matured a great deal in the past year and had to learn some hard lessons because of my actions. I should have acted more responsibly and taken my choices more seriously. This last year, I have been speaking at schools in Boston and educating high school students about making good choices, anti-gun violence and drug awareness,” Martin said. “I focus on being accountable for your actions and emphasize that one mistake doesn’t have to define your life. I appreciate everyone’s support, especially my family and friends for standing by me and knowing that my choices that night are not reflective of my true character. I look forward to moving past this time in my life and getting back to my career. Thank you for all the positive messages and support.”
Martin’s attorney, Asha White, added that the confrontation with police was “initiated by others who have a long history with law enforcement.”
“Today Justin Martin plead guilty to certain charges at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Superior Court. He accepted responsibility for his mistakes and received an 18-month sentence with one year probation, which would then allow him to return to Los Angeles. The incident was a confrontation initiated by others who have a long history with law enforcement, and Justin reacted in a way that was inconsistent with his character,” White said. “At no time did Justin ever fire a gun at police officers. However, there was a circumstance when he pointed a gun at an officer who arrived in an unmarked car wearing plain clothes, mistakenly believing that they were part of the group of attackers. Justin’s attackers fired at police and also fired at Justin. Martin was offered a plea agreement that was the minimum possible sentence by the court, but it is a mandatory sentence in the state for possession of a firearm. Justin has no prior confrontations with law enforcement and is hopeful that he can move forward from this unfortunate incident.”