A Dallas County jury on Monday found Deep Ellum bartender Austin Shuffield guilty of obstruction and assault in response to a 2019 incident that was captured on video. Shuffield was found not guilty of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
A bystander caught Shuffield beating L'Daijohnique Lee on video. The recording showed Shuffield holding a gun before he began to throw punches.
The jury got the case on Friday and deliberated for a few hours Monday morning before coming to a verdict.
The jury could have decided on a prison term of up to 10-years. But before the sentencing hearing could begin, Shuffield's lawyers and the prosecutors met with the judge and reached an agreement. Shuffield will serve 5-and-a-half years on probation and agree not to appeal. Shuffield will have to serve a 90 day jail sentence in Collin County where he was caught driving drunk.
Prosecutor Messina Madson says the felony conviction will keep a gun out of Shuffield's hands.
"It seems very important that he not be allowed to carry a firearm in Dallas County or anywhere else. In terms of what they chose to find him guilty of, I'm a little surprised that they didn't find the assault behavior to a level of a felony."
While awaiting trial, Shuffield was caught driving drunk in Collin County. The plea deal requires Shuffield to serve 90 days in jail for that.
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