Cris Kirkwood was sentenced to twenty-one months in prison Monday, for assaulting a Phoenix security guard with a dangerous weapon.

The former Meat Puppets bassist, 43, was involved in an argument with a woman at a post office in downtown Phoenix on December 26, 2003, when she asked security guard Thomas Goodrum to intervene. A fracas between Kirkwood and the guard ensued, during which Kirkwood obtained Goodrum's baton and began striking him in the head. Goodrum pulled his handgun and fired once, hitting Kirkwood in the abdomen. Five days later, Kirkwood was arrested by federal officials.

Kirkwood pleaded guilty to the charge in May. In addition to the federal prison sentence, he must pay restitutions to Goodrum.

"I was telling the guy who is doing his evaluation, 'He is not a criminal, he fell through the cracks, it's your fault, you guys fucked up, you don't take care of your mentally ill,'" Cris' brother and former bandmate Curt Kirkwood told Rolling Stone this summer. "But ultimately he has to be responsible. And I think he understands that this is a good chance for him."

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