Former Security Company Co-Owner Sentenced After Excessive Force Incident Outside El Mojito PDX In Southeast Portland

Sentence follows 2022 encounter captured on security video

A former co-owner of a private security company has been sentenced to prison for conduct prosecutors described as excessive force during an incident outside a Southeast Portland bar. The case centered on events recorded by security cameras outside El Mojito PDX, a business located at 1222 SE Stark St.

Jesus Mendez III Ayala, 39, was sentenced to 27 months in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree attempted assault. The incident occurred on Dec. 10, 2022, during a confrontation involving a patron attempting to re-enter the bar and the patron’s cousin, who stepped in during the dispute.

What prosecutors said happened outside the bar

Prosecutors said video shows a man wearing a light-colored cowboy hat trying to get back inside the establishment. A security guard refused entry, and an argument followed. The man’s cousin intervened as the confrontation escalated.

Ayala, working as a security guard at the time, pepper-sprayed both the man and his cousin, prosecutors said. After the cousin turned away and covered his eyes while leaning against the building, Ayala shot the man in the cowboy hat with a pepper ball gun, according to prosecutors. The man stumbled away.

Prosecutors said Ayala then shot the man with pepper balls again off camera and directed another security guard to hit him. The second guard struck the man multiple times, including on the head, with a collapsible baton. The man later told police that the blows broke his fingers as he tried to shield his head with his hands.

• Date of incident: Dec. 10, 2022
• Location: El Mojito PDX, 1222 SE Stark St., Portland
• Conduct described by prosecutors: pepper spray, pepper ball gun use, and baton strikes
• Outcome: guilty plea and prison sentence for second-degree attempted assault

Second guard’s case and sentence

Authorities identified the other guard as Steven Alyn Bomgardner. Court proceedings in that related case resulted in a guilty plea to second-degree attempted assault on April 5, 2024. Bomgardner was sentenced to two years in prison.

The case highlights how force used by private security personnel can result in criminal liability when it exceeds what the law allows.

The sentencing concludes a prosecution that began with surveillance footage and police interviews following the 2022 incident. The case also underscores the legal scrutiny that can apply to security staff operating in nightlife settings where disputes can escalate quickly and where weapons marketed as “less-lethal” may still cause significant injury.