Female officer charged after allegedly exposing suspect's penis, threatening to tase his 'nuts' during arrest

A female police officer in Washington state is on paid administrative leave and facing an assault charge after she allegedly exposed the penis of a shoplifting suspect and threatened to tase his "nuts" while making an arrest.

On the night of May 21, police in Vancouver, Washington, received a call from a loss prevention employee at Walmart who claimed that two suspects, a male and a female, had pilfered items from the store. Officers Gabriel Patterson and Andrea Mendoza were dispatched to the scene. They located the two suspects in the Walmart parking lot and attempted to apprehend them.

The female suspect immediately fled the scene and was never located, but Patterson managed to grab the arm of the male suspect, described as a black male. The man apparently did not cooperate with the officers' orders. Reports indicate that while the officers were attempting to place him in handcuffs, he jumped up, punched one of them in the face, and kicked the other in the chest.

Mendoza then reportedly deployed her service taser on the suspect's back, but the man still did not submit. At that point, Mendoza allegedly pulled the man's pants and exposed his penis. She then reportedly placed her taser to his genitals and said, "Knock it off, or I’ll do it in your nuts." Bodycam and store surveillance footage indicate that she held the taser to his genitals for 24 seconds, but never used it. Reports also indicated that the suspect told her, "I’m done, I promise I’m done."

The man was given medical treatment at the scene and charged with third-degree assault and third-degree theft. He was then taken to Clark County jail, but a statement from the Vancouver Police Officers Guild later asserted that the "Prosecuting Attorney’s Office withdrew criminal charges against the combative suspect."

Meanwhile, bodycam footage and store surveillance footage were given to the officers' supervisor in keeping with department protocols. After several authorities in the department viewed the footage, it was given to the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office for an independent review.

On July 25, the DA decided to charge Mendoza with fourth-degree assault, a gross misdemeanor that carries a sentence of up to a $5,000 fine and less than year in jail.

"The actions of the officer who deployed the taser in the video are disturbing," said Vancouver Police Chief Jeff Mori. "I want to emphasize to the community that my expectation is that at all times our personnel serve the public with professionalism, compassion and respect."

The local chapters of the YWCA and the NAACP have since weighed in on the incident. Not only did they agree that Mendoza should face criminal prosecution, but they have also called for her job. "Police officers who use severe force, especially when of a sexually exploitative nature, should not be entrusted to protect our community," said a statement from YWCA CEO Brittini Lasseigne. "We advocate for the Vancouver Police Officers’ Guild to maintain integrity and accountability in any engagement with the offending officer, considering the severity of the incident and the possible intersection with racial bias."

However, despite pressure from the YWCA and others, the Vancouver Police Officers Guild is standing by Mendoza's side. "Officer Mendoza and her partner faced a dire situation," a statement from the VPOG read in part. "A noncompliant male suspect began fighting with her and her partner, as they attempted a variety of deescalation and low-level force options to safely place the suspect in custody for Assault and Theft. Undeterred, the suspect repeatedly assaulted Officer Mendoza and her partner."

"Officer Mendoza did not commit a crime," the VPOG also stated. "She did her job. Even the suspect in this case did not consider himself a victim, nor did he want Officer Mendoza charged. ... We are confident that after all the facts are presented to a jury, Officer Mendoza will be exonerated."

Clark County prosecutor Tony Golik declined a request for comment from Oregon Public Broadcasting.

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