diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/AssignmentManager.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/AssignmentManager.java
index f69afe9f692..5d8d836e4b1 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/AssignmentManager.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/AssignmentManager.java
@@ -2636,11 +2636,11 @@ public class AssignmentManager extends ZooKeeperListener {
     threadPoolExecutorService.submit(new UnAssignCallable(this, regionInfo));
   }
 
-  boolean isCarryingRoot(ServerName serverName) {
+  public boolean isCarryingRoot(ServerName serverName) {
     return isCarryingRegion(serverName, HRegionInfo.ROOT_REGIONINFO);
   }
 
-  boolean isCarryingMeta(ServerName serverName) {
+  public boolean isCarryingMeta(ServerName serverName) {
     return isCarryingRegion(serverName, HRegionInfo.FIRST_META_REGIONINFO);
   }
 
diff --git a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/handler/ServerShutdownHandler.java b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/handler/ServerShutdownHandler.java
index d6e5fca5623..f325708fb35 100644
--- a/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/handler/ServerShutdownHandler.java
+++ b/hbase-server/src/main/java/org/apache/hadoop/hbase/master/handler/ServerShutdownHandler.java
@@ -196,20 +196,33 @@ public class ServerShutdownHandler extends EventHandler {
 
       // Assign root and meta if we were carrying them.
       if (isCarryingRoot()) { // -ROOT-
-        LOG.info("Server " + serverName +
-            " was carrying ROOT. Trying to assign.");
-        this.services.getAssignmentManager().
-          regionOffline(HRegionInfo.ROOT_REGIONINFO);
-        verifyAndAssignRootWithRetries();
+        // Check again: region may be assigned to other where because of RIT
+        // timeout
+        if (this.services.getAssignmentManager().isCarryingRoot(serverName)) {
+          LOG.info("Server " + serverName
+              + " was carrying ROOT. Trying to assign.");
+          this.services.getAssignmentManager().regionOffline(
+              HRegionInfo.ROOT_REGIONINFO);
+          verifyAndAssignRootWithRetries();
+        } else {
+          LOG.info("ROOT has been assigned to otherwhere, skip assigning.");
+        }
       }
 
       // Carrying meta?
       if (isCarryingMeta()) {
-        LOG.info("Server " + serverName +
-          " was carrying META. Trying to assign.");
-        this.services.getAssignmentManager().
-          regionOffline(HRegionInfo.FIRST_META_REGIONINFO);
-        this.services.getAssignmentManager().assignMeta();
+        // Check again: region may be assigned to other where because of RIT
+        // timeout
+        if (this.services.getAssignmentManager().isCarryingMeta(serverName)) {
+          LOG.info("Server " + serverName
+              + " was carrying META. Trying to assign.");
+          this.services.getAssignmentManager().regionOffline(
+              HRegionInfo.FIRST_META_REGIONINFO);
+          this.services.getAssignmentManager().assignMeta();
+        } else {
+          LOG.info("META has been assigned to otherwhere, skip assigning.");
+        }
+       
       }
 
       // We don't want worker thread in the MetaServerShutdownHandler