Arrests and Firings Announced

Two Phoenix police officers have been arrested and fired following an unreported traffic stop in which they allegedly assaulted a man and a woman and used a Taser on them, according to police chief Matt Giordano. Giordano announced the arrests and firings at a news conference on Saturday, identifying the officers as Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez. Both were arrested on charges including aggravated assault and kidnapping.

"Detectives have confirmed that the two former officers physically assaulted both the man and woman during the traffic stop," Giordano said. "The investigation also shows that a Taser was used on the victims during the stop."

The officers did not report the August 5 traffic stop and did not activate their body-worn cameras, police said. Giordano acknowledged the lack of video evidence but stated that probable cause had been established. "There is no video evidence, but we established what we believe is probable cause that these crimes were committed," he said, adding that there was no indication the officers knew the victims.

Details of the Incident

During the late-night traffic stop in Phoenix, the male driver and female passenger reported that the officers smashed the car window, according to a statement from Phoenix police. Vasquez allegedly punched the man and threatened to shoot him, while the woman was removed from the vehicle and handcuffed. The man managed to drive away and abandoned the car in neighboring Tempe, while the woman was released at the scene.

A police officer in Tempe who responded to the abandoned car asked over dispatch whether it had fled from any neighboring police agencies and was told it had not, according to a Tempe police report. The Tempe officer then called the car's registered owner, the mother of the male driver, and through her was able to connect with the female passenger and eventually the male driver.

The female passenger told the officer that both she and the man had been shocked with a Taser, while the man later said he had been punched in the face multiple times and that they had repeatedly asked why they had been stopped. The Tempe officer wrote in the report that he believed they were victims of an attempted carjacking by people impersonating police officers.

Giordano said the automatic vehicle locator placed a city vehicle at the location around the time the victims reported the incident occurred.

Custody and Background

Dave Evans, a spokesperson for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, said Sunday that Vasquez had been released from custody while Felix remained incarcerated at the Lower Buckeye Jail in Phoenix. Attempts to determine the officers' defense attorneys were unsuccessful.

Vasquez and Felix had served eight and nine years with Phoenix police, respectively. Giordano said both officers had previously violated department policy but that it was "nothing of this nature." The department's investigation and audit are ongoing, and the officers have a scheduled court date on Friday.