Former 'Family Ties' Child Star, Brian Bonsall, Arrested

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - Former child star Brian Bonsall, who
played Andy Keaton in "Family Ties," was arrested on charges of
assaulting his girlfriend, police said.

Bonsall, 25, was being held in the Boulder County jail Friday on
charges of second-degree assault and false imprisonment. It was not
immediately clear whether he had an attorney, and a listing for an
agent could not be found.

Bonsall was arrested Wednesday after his girlfriend told police
he poured an alcoholic drink on her face while she slept, put her
in a choke hold and threw her onto a bed when she tried to leave,
authorities said.

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 initially taken into custody but then released,
police said.

Bonsall, who lives in Boulder, appeared in three seasons of
"Family Ties," the NBC sitcom that helped launch Michael J. Fox's
career. He later appeared in episodes of "Star Trek: The Next
Generation" and the 1993 film "Father Hood."