ROBBIE TOLAN

 

This San Diego native, son of 14-year Major League Veteran Bobby Tolan, was a baseball standout at Bellaire High School in Houston, TX. After graduating from Bellaire in 2003, Robbie attended Prairie View A&M University, where he helped lead the PanthersA to their second consecutive conference title in 2007. Following the Panthers’ championship season, Robbie signed to play with the Washington Nationals, with dreams of following in his father’s footsteps.

 

In the early hours of December 31, 2008, an errant mistake by a Bellaire Police officer alleged that Robbie stole a car that was his own, and parked it in front of his parents’ home. Robbie and his cousin were forced by officers to lie faced down on the ground at gunpoint. Robbie’s mother was thrown into the family’s own garage door; when Robbie protested the mistreatment of his mother, he was shot in the chest by one of the officers. The bullet travelled through Robbie’s lung, and punctured his liver, where it still remains today.

 

Despite the unlikely chances of survival and grim expectations by doctors, Robbie beat all the odds by not only surviving the shooting, but also by making a full recovery and returning to the baseball field the following year. Though Robbie has since retired from baseball, he has not retired his love for the game.

 

The case made national headlines, and sparked a media firestorm when the officer who shot Robbie was acquitted of aggravated assault by a public servant. The Tolans filed a federal civil lawsuit against the police officers as well as the City of Bellaire. A federal judge awarded the officers summary judgment and the case was thrown out. Robbie and his family filed several appeals before the case landed on the desk of the United States Supreme Court. On May 5, 2014, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously to overturn the summary judgment; marking the first time in over ten years that the Supreme Court ruled against a police officer.

 

Robbie has been featured on Investigation Discovery, ABC, FOX, HBO, and CNN, as well as dozens of national publications such as Essence Magazine, Associated Press, and The New York Times.

 

Robbie is currently working on The Tolan Foundation, a non-profit organization that fosters the energy and creativity of youths into positive arenas such as education and extracurricular activities. Robbie has also recently completed his book, Unknown 90, that will reach shelves in early 2015.