SAN ANTONIO, TX – A bizarre confrontation unfolded outside a Texas courthouse, centering around former police officer James Brennand, who is currently dealing with serious legal issues of his own. According to law enforcement, 58-year-old James Michael Cox attempted to run over Brennand in the courthouse parking lot on March 26.
While the authorities have not disclosed a motive for the alleged attack, the confrontation adds another layer to an already complicated legal situation involving Brennand.
Brennand, who was dismissed from his position, faces charges after allegedly shooting a teenager who was eating a hamburger in his car in 2022.
During the courthouse incident, Cox reportedly identified himself to Brennand before driving away. He has been charged with assault with a deadly weapon in Bexar County. Cox was subsequently arrested in Medina County, where he faces additional charges of evading arrest with a motor vehicle and resisting arrest. These charges follow a warrant issued on April 1.
The backstory involving Brennand is equally tumultuous. In 2022, he allegedly shot and injured 17-year-old Erik Cantu, who was eating in the driver’s seat of his vehicle.
Brennand, at the time on duty at a restaurant for an unrelated matter, claimed the car Cantu was in had evaded him earlier that day during a traffic stop attempt.
Body camera footage captured the tense moments of that incident. Brennand ordered Cantu to get out of the car, but the teenager began to reverse the vehicle. In the ensuing chaos, Brennand appears to have reached into the vehicle and fired his weapon at Cantu. The incident led to Brennand’s dismissal from the police force.
A status conference regarding Brennand’s case is scheduled for May 30, highlighting the ongoing legal proceedings both he and Cox currently face. As the cases unfold, community members are watching closely, eager for justice and clarity in these two interconnected legal dramas.