A Florida deputy searched a woman several times before taking her to jail, but somehow missed the revolver hidden beneath her pants. Minutes later, she pulled it out and opened fire from the back seat of his patrol car.
The shooting happened June 23, 2025, in Marion County, after Deputy Alexander Guillard stopped an orange Ford Mustang for a traffic violation. The driver, 22-year-old Rheanna Harden, gave him another woman’s name before admitting her license was suspended.
As the traffic stop turned into an arrest, Harden managed to slip out of her handcuffs and partly cover the patrol car’s rear camera. Guillard noticed her strange behavior, but repeated searches failed to uncover the gun in her clothing.
Investigators later found six spent cartridge cases inside the revolver and bullet holes just inches from where the deputy’s head had been. Harden survived the exchange of gunfire, and her explanation for pulling the trigger raised even more questions.
Three Missed Searches
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According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit and incident report, Guillard arrested Harden for driving with a suspended license, giving false identification, and several drug offenses.
Bodycam footage published by Code Blue Cam shows the deputy questioning Harden about the identification she provided. He quickly recognized that something was wrong because he had stopped the woman pictured on the license just days earlier.
After admitting her real identity, Harden told Guillard she had recently been released from prison and was trying to get her life back on track.
While deputies finished their investigation, she sat handcuffed in Guillard’s patrol car. At one point, she slipped a hand free and moved the clear partition window separating the front and rear seats.
She also used her visor to partly block the camera recording her movements.
When Guillard noticed the loose restraints, he removed Harden, searched her again, and secured the handcuffs. Still, the gun went unnoticed.
During a later interview, Harden told Detective Joseph Miller that she had been searched three times. She explained that the revolver was inside the front right pocket of shorts she wore beneath her outer pants.
The Window Requests
Throughout the stop, Harden repeatedly asked Guillard to open the rear windows, complaining that she was hot. The deputy offered more air conditioning but refused to lower them.
Her explanation for those requests came after the shooting.
Harden told detectives she wanted to throw the gun outside so deputies would discover it away from her. She claimed she feared telling Guillard about the weapon would make him draw his own gun.
Yet she continued carrying it as the deputy drove toward the Marion County Jail.
Gunfire From Behind
Around 2:15 a.m., Harden raised the revolver toward Guillard through the partition and began shooting, according to Detective Miller’s review of the patrol car footage.
The deputy returned fire as the vehicle crashed into a utility pole along South Highway 441 in Ocala.
After escaping the driver’s seat, Guillard ran behind the patrol car. Investigators reported that Harden fired approximately two more rounds toward the front before he returned fire again.
Bullets had pierced the partition and parts of the driver’s compartment, passing close to Guillard’s head. He suffered a graze wound on his right cheek, near his eye.
Deputies surrounded the damaged vehicle and eventually took Harden back into custody. Both were treated at hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries.
Investigators recovered an H&R Model 732 revolver beside the rear door. All six chambers contained spent cartridge cases.
Her Explanation
During her interview, Harden claimed she was angry about how Guillard had treated her. She complained about his refusal to open the windows and said her fight-or-flight instincts had taken over.
“I feel like what happened, had to happen,” she told detectives.
Harden also claimed she had only intended to shoot the deputy’s radio so she could escape. Detective Miller noted that the bullet trajectories did not support her account.
The sheriff’s office charged Harden with attempted second-degree murder of a law enforcement officer and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, adding those counts to the offenses from the traffic stop.
After pleading no contest, Harden was sentenced to 40 years in prison on February 16, 2026.
The footage captures Guillard speaking with fellow deputies after the shooting. Looking at the wound near his eye, he reflected on how narrowly the bullets had missed him.
“I probably shouldn’t be alive,” he said.