Vaughn Banned From Bars Following Brawl

June 1, 2001 -- Actor Vince Vaughn and screenwriter Scott Rosenberg entered Alford pleas and expect their misdemeanor assault charges to be dropped following a vicious bar brawl that left their pal Steve Buscemi with multiple stab wounds.

Vaughn and Rosenberg entered Alford pleas via their attorneys in Wilmington, N.C., district court on Thursday. An Alford plea is treated the same as a guilty plea for sentencing, but the defendant admits no guilt, according to The Associated Press.

Both will return in January to have the assault charges dismissed. A judge ruled that Vaughn and Rosenberg will not be allowed in any of Wilmington's downtown watering holes and must attend alcohol counseling sessions.

Buscemi, Vaughn, and Rosenberg were filming the aptly named John Travolta thriller Domestic Disturbance in Wilmington last month. The three were hanging out at the Firebelly Lounge when they got into an altercation with two local men.

The men went outside, where they began scuffling around 2 a.m. Police on patrol saw the struggle and broke it up, but at that point Buscemi had already been stabbed above the eye and in the jaw, throat, and arm. He was treated at a local emergency room and released.

Authorities told the AP that Vaughn and Rosenberg got into a fight with others at the bar after realizing that Buscemi was hurt. One of the locals, 21-year-old Timothy Fogerty, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill for allegedly stabbing Buscemi. Vaughn and Rosenberg will testify in Fogerty's case, which is pending.

Buscemi reportedly returned to New York to recover from the wounds and to consult a plastic surgeon.