Randolph Glenn is about to get at least a little of what he deserves for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Glenn was shot by Dallas Police Officer Bunthavuth Te after failing to remove his hands from his pockets while Te and other officers looked for Donnell Charles Collins, who'd allegedly just committed a robbery and carjacking.
On February 2, 2012, Dallas police responded to a report of two armed robberies on Grand Avenue in East Dallas. After flagging police down, one of the victims pointed the cops to a blue van down the street that was being carjacked by Collins. Officers Thomas Hughes and Joshua Shipp approached the vehicle, and when they asked Collins to show his hands, the cops said he reached for a black object they thought was gun (it was a BB gun). As Shipp tried to get the owner of the van out of the vehicle, Collins hit the gas, according to police records.
Hughes fired two shots into the car, hitting Collins in the buttocks and grazing the carjacking victim. Glenn was shot by Te after cops spotted him walking down a nearby street. Despite his being 54 at the time and Collins' being 29, cops would later say that Glenn matched the description they had of Collins. When Glenn was ordered to take his hands of his pockets, he didn't -- he said in a lawsuit he's hard of hearing -- and he was hit in the leg as he walked towards officers.
"Given that there is a 4-inch difference in height, a 120-pound difference in weight, and a 24-year age difference, the only apparent similarity between Collins and Glenn appears to be that both are African American males," the suit said.
See also: Middle-Aged Dallas Man Mistaken for Young Armed Robber Is Suing the Cop Who Shot Him
Collins was eventually caught hiding between a toilet and a wall in an abandoned apartment complex. Te, who'd arrived at the scene to help in the search for the suspect who would turn out to be Collins, was not indicted for shooting Glenn.
The City Council is scheduled to confirm the settlement Wednesday.
