June 5, 2026: Judge Dismisses Indictment Against Former LAPD Officer Charged in 2015 Fatal Shooting of Homeless Man in Venice

DA Proctor Opposition Motion

Prosecutors plan to appeal judge's ruling

LOS ANGELES - A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge dismissed an indictment today against former Los Angeles Police Officer Clifford Proctor who was charged with murder in the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Brendon Glenn during an altercation in Venice more than a decade ago.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney Office opposed the defense motion to dismiss the case, noting that the grand jury heard and saw sufficient evidence that Proctor unlawfully and maliciously intended to kill the victim and there was no justification for his use of deadly force.

In granting the defense motion to dismiss, the judge criticized former Special Prosecutor Lawerence Middleton, who was appointed by former District Attorney George Gascon, saying that Middleton failed to present to the grand jury in 2024 any evidence of malice in the fatal shooting, a necessary factor in proving second-degree murder. The Court also criticized Middleton for failing to properly present exculpatory evidence to the grand jury favorable to Proctor. The Court further critiqued Middleton and Gascon for failing to present the case before the statute of limitations expired on voluntary manslaughter.

"We are surprised and disappointed by the judge's decision, whose erroneous ruling has thwarted our efforts to obtain justice for Brendon Glenn, the victim of Officer Proctor's shooting," Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said. "We will be appealing the Court's ruling as we strongly believe there was more than sufficient evidence presented to the grand jury to show that Mr. Proctor was guilty of second-degree murder for maliciously killing an unarmed man."

Proctor (dob 5/19/65) was indicted by the grand jury in September 2024 on one count of second-degree murder. He was arrested in October 2025 as he was leaving the country.

On May 5, 2015, Proctor and his partner responded to an area near the Venice Beach Boardwalk where Glenn and others were blocking the sidewalk at the time and intoxicated. As the officers attempted to subdue and arrest Glenn, Proctor is accused of fatally shooting Glenn with no legal justification.

Prosecutors argued in an opposition motion filed last week that they presented ample evidence of the element of malice to support the grand jury's probable cause finding. Among them:

• No evidence of aggression by the victim, who was unarmed, and didn't possess a serious threat to officers
• Proctor was angry and frustrated by Glenn and threatened to shoot his dog with a profanity-laced invective
• After the shooting Proctor asked a witness to support a false narrative of what happened
• Proctor's partner testified before the grand jury that he didn't ever hear Proctor warn him prior to the shooting that Glenn was trying to reach for the officer's duty weapon or backup weapon and that he did not believe Glenn presented a deadly threat to him

"Defendant's decision to shoot and kill Mr. Glenn without any justification was evidence that he acted with conscious disregard for human life, the final element for a finding of implied malice," the opposition motion said.

In March 2018, then-Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey released an 83-page report, finding that there was insufficient evidence to prove Proctor acted unlawfully in self-defense and in defense of others when he used deadly force. This 83-page report, which was presented to the grand jury, reviewed the evidence, including body-worn and surveillance videos, 10 civilian eyewitness statements, DNA analysis and the opinion of a nationally recognized use-of-force expert.

After this report was presented to the grand jury and hearing witness testimony, the panel returned the indictment.

The case is being prosecuted by Special Prosecutor Michael Gennaco, one of the country's leading experts on officer-involved shootings and police use of force.