Bartender Charged With Allegedly Serving Drunk Man Before He Killed 8 People in Shooting Rampage

Stock photo of a police car. (Nick Starichenko/Shutterstock)

A 27-year-old bartender from Texas has been arrested for serving alcohol to an intoxicated man who went on a shooting spree killing 8 people shortly after leaving the bar.

Lindsey Glass is charged under a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code (TABC) titled “Sale to Certain Persons,” which states that “a person commits an offense if the person with criminal negligence sells an alcoholic beverage to an habitual drunkard or an intoxicated or insane person,” reported NBC San Diego.

The charge carries a penalty of $500 fine, up to a year in jail, or both.

Her arrest comes more than a year after suspect Spencer James Hight, 32, open fired at a Dallas Cowboys-watching party killing eight people—including his estranged wife—and injuring one. Hight was subsequently killed by police who responded to the call.

According to a medical examiner, Hight had a blood alcohol level four times the state’s legal limit when he drove to his estranged wife’s house.

Family members of the victims launched a lawsuit against Glass and the bar in 2018, claiming that they had been negligent in serving Hight the alcohol knowing that he was intoxicated, according to WFAA. The lawsuit was later dropped.

According to the suit, Glass observed Hight’s “unsteady gait” as he bumped into patio furniture while “extremely intoxicated,” reported the news website.

The suit also alleged that she texted another bartender, Timothy Brandt Banks, telling him that Hight was “drunk and being weird.” She added that he was spinning a knife on the bar and allegedly displayed a gun. Banks reportedly escorted Hight out of the bar to his car and asked him to leave his weapons there before he could re-enter the business.

“During this time, Banks suggested that due to Hight’s extreme intoxication, he should let Banks drive him home or call an Uber,” according to the lawsuit, reported WFAA.

“Hight told Banks he was having problems with his estranged wife and had something to do ’tonight.‘ Banks told Hight he should do them when he is sober to which Hight responded that he ’couldn’t do the things he needs to do tonight without being this intoxicated,'” it added.

According to an affidavit, Glass completed certifications approved by Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission (TABC), reported NBC San Diego.

The bar, Local Public House, reached an agreement with TABC in 2018 where it lost its business permit. However, as part of the agreement, the bar did not have to admit to wrongdoing, and the permit holder would not have to cancel any other active permits, reported WFAA.

One victim’s mother, Debbie Lane, told WFAA that she did not agree with Glass’s arrest.

“To single out this bartender seems unfair, a waste of resources and will accomplish nothing,” she said. “How about focusing on strengthening abused people so they can escape these monsters.”