Exclusive: Lawyer of Grand Prairie councilman charged with assault says viral video doesn't tell the whole story

CBS News

2 days ago

CBS News Texas is hearing exclusively from the lawyer representing Grand Prairie Councilman Mike Del Bosque. The attorney said the video showing his client allegedly assaulting a man doesn't tell the whole story of what happened that day.
Exclusive video released Wednesday is causing controversy in Grand Prairie. It shows Councilman Del Bosque allegedly assaulting a real estate broker in April. Police arrested and charged Del Bosque with misdemeanor assault and criminal mischief.
"My response is the video that was shown does not show the events that took place before the altercation in the parking lot, Phillip Linder said.
Attorney Phillip Linder represents Del Bosque. The video shows the councilman allegedly punching 60-year-old David Collantes, pushing him to the ground, and breaking his cell phone. It happened outside a medical office building on Carrier Parkway, which was owned by Del Bosque but in the process of being turned over to another owner after a default judgment.
"David Collantes entered our client's private property through a back door," Linder said. "It was in a private office, uninvited. The female staff felt threatened, and when asked to leave, he used expletives," said Linder.
Linder said Collantes and three other men entered the building and wouldn't leave when asked.
"It really shouldn't surprise me how an attorney and politician can really twist the truth tighter than a large German pretzel that you could buy at the state fair," Collantes said.
Collantes said Linder's allegations simply aren't true.
"The people there that day were myself and another woman. Not two men, another woman and a male, so there's three people," Collantes said. "I never entered his business in the back door."
Linder believes Del Bosque was acting in self-defense.
"I've been talking with the D.A. She's given me till next Friday to produce our video, our photographs and our statement, which we're working on putting together," Linder said.
"What happened was not self-defense, right? Mr. Del Bosque is not law enforcement, and if he believed that there was something wrong, what's the first thing we do? We call 911 and let the police handle it," Collantes said.
Grand Prairie Mayor Ron Jensen sent CBS News Texas the following statement:
"I am deeply concerned about what occurred, and the discredit the Councilmember's actions have brought to the City. I have directed City staff to place a vote to censure on the agenda for the next City Council meeting. The City Council will have the opportunity to respond accordingly on August 5."
"I would ask them to wait for all the facts to come out, but their city council is their city council," Linder said.
"I'm surprised it took this long. I mean, this the assault happened April 4th. Mr. Del Bosque was arrested April 10th, and they're getting around to it now almost four months later," Collantes said.
Both sides have very different hopes for the future.
"I hope that the Dallas County District Attorney will fairly, and I do mean fairly, properly prosecute this case that will start the restoration of my faith in the legal system," Collantes said.
"We're hoping the outcome is the case either doesn't get filed or gets dismissed once it is filed," Linder said. "I mean, he was defending his office staff. The what's not shown on the video was that this man was very threatening."
Collantes said it was the councilman who was threatening, even to Collantes' wife, who he said came with him to the property.
"I cannot protect my wife from Mr. Del Bosque. That's something I have to live with, and that's why I'm not going to give this up," Collantes said.
"I'm still working on getting statements from all of the staff. Some of them may have cell phone video and photographs that we're working on getting," Linder said.
The August 5th Grand Prairie City Council meeting, where a vote on whether to censure the councilman is expected to happen, will be held at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall.