On Thursday, October 16, a former Los Angeles Police Department officer was detained at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of killing a homeless man in 2015.
Clifford Proctor, 60, was put into jail on Friday, Oct. 17, and is being held on a $2 million bail, jail records show.
“The Los Angeles Police Department is aware of the arrest of a former LAPD officer at Los Angeles International Airport on a felony murder warrant,” according to X. “We will continue to support the justice system as this case proceeds and will work collaboratively with our law enforcement partners throughout the process.”
Brendon Glenn, 29, was fatally shot on May 5, 2015, after arguing with a bouncer along the Venice Beach Boardwalk, ABC7 reported. Proctor and his colleague had reacted to the reported disturbance and pursued Glenn, at which point Proctor allegedly opened fire on the guy, claiming he felt Glenn was attempting to steal his partner’s gun.
The LAPD determined that Glenn was lying on his stomach when Proctor shot him twice in the back, according to the site.
Glenn was not armed, according to the Los Angeles Times.
According to the Times, Proctor resigned from the LAPD in 2017, and former L.A. County District Attorney Jackie Lacey declined to press any charges against him the following year, citing “insufficient evidence” despite then-LAPD Chief Charlie Beck’s suggestion to prosecute the officer.
Proctor did, however, receive an arrest warrant last year, according to KTLA.
The warrant was issued after former District Attorney George Gascón had the case examined by a special prosecutor he hired to re-examine police officer convictions in on-duty shootings, according to the Times.
After Gascón decided to charge Proctor in 2024, the former cop allegedly fled the country and is thought to have been living in Trinidad for the past year, according to NBCLA exclusively. He attempted to return to Los Angeles on Thursday night, but was stopped and arrested at the airport, according to the site.
“Our office is aware of the public reports about Mr. Proctor’s arrest,” the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told PEOPLE in a statement on Friday, October 17. “At the moment, our office is unable to comment. If conditions change, we will offer additional information as necessary.”
Glenn family attorney James DeSimone tells PEOPLE that the family is “relieved” and “gratified” by Proctor’s arrest.
“He was very loved by his mother, son, and sister,” DeSimone recalls. “And our hope is just that this is something where the current district attorney moves forward with the prosecution and then ultimately a conviction can be secured.”
According to DeSimone, Glenn died while couch surfing.
“Brendan had a home in New York,” he explains. “He had moved to California for employment, doing some construction in San Diego before making his way up to a farm and working for a bit. And then he arrived to Venice and, like so many others, fell in love with its eclectic nature.”
However, he states that Glenn was “truly at a crossroads where he really missed his family, wanted to go back, but didn’t want to go back with nothing. He was hoping to get work so that he could at least afford to travel back home to see his family.”
In a statement issued by DeSimone, Glenn’s sister Brittany stated that their family is “looking forward to the rest of this criminal process playing itself out for all to see.”
“Ten years has gone by, but it feels like yesterday when the tragedy took place, achieving justice for this terrible moment in time finally feels like a tangible thing versus something we as a family have always hoped for,” she told me.
