Overview
Two Phoenix police officers have been fired and arrested following an unreported traffic stop in which they allegedly assaulted a man and a woman and used a Taser, according to Phoenix police chief Matt Giordano. Officers Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez were arrested on charges including aggravated assault and kidnapping, Giordano announced at a news conference Saturday.
“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 incident occurred during a late-night traffic stop on Aug. 5, which the officers did not report and during which they did not activate their body-worn cameras, police said.
Chief Cites Lack of Video Evidence
Giordano acknowledged the absence of video evidence. “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.
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Dave Evans said Sunday that Vasquez had been released from custody, while Felix remained incarcerated at the Lower Buckeye Jail in Phoenix.
Attempts to reach the officers’ defense attorneys for comment were unsuccessful.
Details from the Traffic Stop
According to a statement from Phoenix police, the male driver and woman passenger reported that the officers smashed the car window. The statement said Vasquez 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 Tempe police officer 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 called the car’s registered owner — the mother of the male driver — and through her was able to connect with the woman passenger and eventually the driver.
The woman told officers that both she and the driver were shocked with a Taser, while the man said he was punched multiple times and that the officers repeatedly asked why they had been stopped, according to the report. The Tempe officer wrote that he believed the pair were victims of an attempted carjacking by people impersonating police.
Giordano said he initially had a similar reaction when he learned of the incident, but detectives later realized Phoenix officers might be involved and transitioned the case to a special investigations detail.
Evidence and Background
Evidence in the case included an automatic vehicle locator that placed a vehicle at the location around the reported time, according to police.
Vasquez and Felix had served eight and nine years with Phoenix police, respectively, and had prior policy violations but “nothing of this nature,” Giordano said.
The department’s investigation and an audit are ongoing. Both officers have a scheduled court date on Friday.