Sep. 24—North Kern State Prison Officer David Tapia saw a situation go from bad to worse Aug. 31, 2021, when he witnessed a man lob softball-sized rocks at the glass windows of Delano’s Department of Human Services building.
Emergency dispatchers put Tapia on hold when he called to report the man bombarding the building with rocks. However, after he saw one of the building’s glass windows get shattered, Tapia, a 15-year employee of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, sprung into action.
Screams could be heard as the suspect, later identified as Alejandro Mendoza, walked into the building on 1816 Cecil Ave., CDCR Secretary Kathleen Allison said Friday, while lauding Tapia’s actions that day and awarding him the Medal of Valor, the highest honor a CDCR employee can receive.
Tapia watched as Mendoza left the building, and then chucked a flaming canister inside, which caused flames to fully engulf the building, she added. The doors into Delano DHS shattered from the fire, Tapia said in a CDCR video about the incident.
“It was pretty chaotic,” Tapia recalled.
The Investigative Services Unit officer, who was on duty away from prison grounds when the incident occurred, apprehended the suspect before Delano Police officers arrived.
Tapia unholstered his gun and steadily approached Mendoza. Mendoza walked toward him, and when Tapia yelled out “police” and ordered him into a “prone position.” Mendoza complied, Allison said.
“Officer Tapia demonstrated great bravery to protect the community and display courage in the face of immediate life-threatening danger,” Allison said at the ceremony held in Elk Grove, which was streamed online for the public.
None of the 25 employees in the DHS building were injured, Jana Slagle, spokeswoman for DHS, told The Californian previously, adding they were shaken up by the incident.
“We are grateful for Mr. Tapia’s quick and caring action, and we are happy he is receiving a Medal of Valor from the CDCR,” Slagle wrote Friday in an emailed statement to The Californian.
Mendoza was ultimately taken into custody by the Delano Police Department and charged with attempted murder, four counts of arson, two counts of possessing a device to commit arson and felony vandalism.
Tapia remained humble in the video posted by the CDCR. His kids were excited to hear their dad get an award for an incident covered by local news.
“It’s nice to receive the award and it’s nice to be recognized,” Tapia said. “But, it’s part of our duty to, you know, protect everyone.”
Mendoza was initially determined to be incompetent to stand trial, but after months of treatment has been deemed competent for trial, said Assistant District Attorney Joseph Kinzel, spokesman for the DA’s office.
Mendoza told Delano police he chose that building because it was a government building, and his intention was to burn it because he had problems with the government, according to a probable cause statement from the Delano Police Department filed in Kern County Superior Court.
His pre-preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday.
You can reach Ishani Desai at 661-395-7417. You can also follow her at @_ishanidesai on Twitter.
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