On May 21, 2023, at 10 p.m., two Vancouver police officers arrived at a Walmart in response to a report of shoplifting. One of the identified suspects escaped, and the other, later identified as Elijah Guffey-Prejean, resisted arrest. A several-minute, potentially dangerous struggle ensued between the two officers and Guffey-Prejean. The fight ended with no one hurt. Guffey-Prejean was taken into custody, and shoplifted goods were secured.
The incident could be viewed as a rare pushback against out-of-control shoplifters, who increasingly have connections to gangs, the drug trade and international cartels.
But it is how the fight ended that now threatens the career of one of the officers, Andrea Mendoza. Mendoza, who has two young children, is now charged with Assault IV and is on paid leave. Her career, including past decorations, is in doubt. Her kids may be asking, “Mommy, are you going to jail?” Mendoza must appear in District Court for pretrial hearing on Sept. 12.
Her actions during the fight, recorded on bodycam footage, were unorthodox and spur-of-the-moment. Unable to completely subdue the miscreant, Mendoza, a streetwise armed forces veteran, pulled his pants down and verbally and with unmistakable actions threatened to tase his genitals, which were exposed for just under 2 minutes before he stopped resisting. At his request, Mendoza pulled his pants up. He then thanked her.
