Female Police Officer Threatens To Use Taser on Suspect’s Genitals After Resisting Arrest

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Vancouver, Washington — On May 21, 2023, two Vancouver Police officers, Officer Gabriel Patterson and Officer Andrea Mendoza responded to a call from a Walmart loss prevention employee who was requesting law enforcement trespass two individuals who they had seen conceal merchandise and leave the store without an attempt to pay for the items. Two arriving VPD officers located the subjects matching the description in the parking lot, made verbal contact with them and informed them they were not free to leave. The male subject, identified as 19-year-old Elijah Guffey-Prejean took several steps away and Officer Patterson grabbed the subject’s arm to prevent him from fleeing. The female subject took off running and was not located.

The two VPD officers were able to get Guffey-Prejean to the ground however, before he could be handcuffed, he jumped up, punched one of the officers in the face and kicked the other officer in the chest. Both officers began struggling with him to gain control. Officer Mendoza deployed a Taser to Guffey-Prejean’s back to gain compliance, which was not effective enough to get him handcuffed. During the struggle, Officer Mendoza exposed the Guffey-Prejean’s genital area and threatened to activate the Taser if he did not stop resisting. He then complied and was able to be handcuffed. He was provided medical aid at the scene and was subsequently transported to the hospital for additional evaluation before being booked into the Clark County Jail for Assault III and Theft III.

The incident was recorded on the body cameras of both officers and security footage from Wal Mart’s camera. The reports and body camera footage were appropriately filed by the responding officers, in compliance with department protocols. Based on the supervisor’s review, this incident was brought to the attention of the office of the chief on May 24 and Officer Mendoza who deployed the Taser was immediately placed on administrative leave. The case was referred to the Clark County Sheriff’s Office on May 24 for independent investigation. Additionally, an internal VPD investigation was also opened. The Clark County Sheriff’s Office investigation was completed on July 20 and forwarded to the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office for review. On July 25, the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office filed Assault IV charges on Officer Mendoza that deployed the Taser.