Captain Mendez
Background
Mendez is the captain at the Santa Paula prison.
During the events of Airwolf: Season 3 Episode 19 Break-In at Santa Paula played by Pedro Armendariz Jr.
Captain Mendez walks up to Terry Haines, Gentry, Senders, Joaquin and Morales and Senders and his friends walk away. Terry tells Mendez he wants Senders kept away from him and Gentry and Mendez tells Terry not to give him orders. Terry asks to speak to Comandancia Garcia and Mendez taps Terry in the stomach with his metal baton and tells him that he is in charge of the prison. Terry then bribes Mendez to leave him and Gentry alone. Mendez holds out the candy bar Terry gave to him as a bribe to Paco and then drops it on the ground, forcing Paco to grab for it from the other side of the prison gate. Mendez walks into Garcia's office and Stringfellow Hawke is inside. Hawke tells Garcia that he is Terry's uncle and wants to see him and Mendez takes Hawke to see Terry. As Hawke leaves, Mendez threatens that if he spreads any bad news about the prison, then Terry will get hurt. Hawke and Dominic land Airwolf in the prison yard and are swarmed by prisoners, but Terry is not where he is supposed to be. Hawke gets out and is captured and yells to Dominic to fly away.
Hawke is beaten and then questioned by Mendez. Mendez thinks Terry must be connected either financially or politically. Dominic and Caitlin O'Shannessy dress as a priest and a nun and go to the prison. They convince Garcia and Mendez to take them inside the prison. When Dominic and Caitlin leave, Mendez convinces Garcia to go and report the incident to the capitol himself. Dominic and Caitlin are let into the prison and Caitlin walks up to Senders and after he threateningly grabs her, Mendez threatens to throw him in the hot box. Mendez tells Hawke that if he doesn't tell him who he is by the time Garcia returns, then he, Terry and Gentry will be killed. Mendez notices added wiring to the front gate and Gentry grabs him and yells he is dying. Hawke takes Paco's gun and shoots Mendez in the shoulder while Gentry takes Paco's keys and unlocks the gate. Dominic arrives in Airwolf and starts shooting at the prison while Hawke, Terry and Gentry steal a truck and drive out of the prison.