SAN ANTONIO – Erik Cantu, who survived a 2022 shooting by a former San Antonio police officer, returned to court on Monday morning — one month after his latest arrest.
Cantu, 20, was taken into custody on Sept. 19 and charged with assault causing bodily injury stemming from a 2024 case, charging records show.
Prosecutors have moved to revoke the probation of Cantu in a 2024 evading arrest case, after he was taken into custody on the unrelated assault charge last month.
On Monday, Judge Stephanie Boyd agreed with Cantu’s attorney to give the defense additional time to review medical records related to the 2024 assault charge.
Cantu is expected to be back in court at 9 a.m. on Nov. 13.
Boyd has already given him a second chance at freedom after previous probation violations. Cantu faces up to seven years in prison.
The officer accused of shooting Cantu in 2022, James Brennand, is scheduled to go to trial on Friday.
>>Judge denies request to delay trial of former SAPD officer accused of shooting teen in 2022
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An arrest warrant affidavit states Cantu threw a woman to the ground, stomped on her head, and punched and kicked her in the early hours of Sept. 28, 2024, at a South Side gas station.
Cantu was on probation at the time of the assault
In September 2024, Cantu pleaded no contest in court to resolve a pair of felony evading arrest charges. Two days later, however, he was accused of skipping a court-ordered drug screening.
In October 2024, Cantu again skipped a drug screening and was seen driving a motor vehicle, violating his probation.
A warrant was issued for his re-arrest, and he was taken back into custody that November.
In December 2024, Cantu was transferred to a therapeutic sanctions facility after a judge ruled he violated his probation. He completed the program earlier this year.
As part of the new conditions, he was barred from driving for the remainder of his probation and must wear a GPS monitor.
Cantu was previously granted seven years of deferred adjudication in September 2024, following multiple evading arrest charges. The terms of his probation explicitly barred him from driving for at least two years.
>>Erik Cantu re-arrested, accused of skipping drug tests, driving on suspended license
Boyd, who presided over Cantu’s hearing in December 2024, expressed frustration with Cantu’s actions.
“It is very clear that I told him he was not allowed to drive,” Boyd said during the proceeding.
A supplemental report was submitted in the cases on Sept. 17, a day before the assault warrant was issued for his arrest, court records show.
Cantu’s attorney argued that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) stemming from the 2022 shooting has affected his decision-making.
Brennand’s attorney, Nico LaHood, previously said that Cantu’s arrest is “in line with a pattern of lawless behavior that Mr. Cantu continues to exhibit.”
LaHood said that Cantu’s recent arrests are something a jury needs to consider in Brennand’s trial.
Brennand’s tentative trial date has been set for Oct. 17, when jury selection will begin. Testimony is expected to start on Oct. 20.
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