2 Phoenix police officers arrested and fired after violent, unreported traffic stop

Phoenix police chief Matt Giordano announced Saturday that two officers have been fired and arrested after an alleged violent, unreported traffic stop. Officers Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez face charges including aggravated battle and kidnapping, Giordano said at a press briefing. “Detectives person confirmed that the 2 erstwhile officers physically assaulted some the antheral and pistillate during the postulation stop,” Giordano said. “The probe besides shows that a Taser was utilized connected the victims during the stop.” The officers failed to report the Aug. 5 traffic stop and did not activate their body‑worn cameras, according to the department. “There is nary video evidence, but we established what we judge is probable origin that these crimes were committed,” Giordano said, adding determination was nary denotation that the officers knew the victims. 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 by The Associated Press to locate the officers’ defense attorneys were unsuccessful. During the late‑night stop in Phoenix, the male driver and female passenger reported that the officers smashed the car window, according to a connection from Phoenix police. Vasquez punched the male and threatened to shoot him, while the female was removed from the vehicle and handcuffed. The male managed to drive away and abandoned the car in neighboring Tempe, while the female was released at the scene. A Tempe officer who responded to the abandoned vehicle asked dispatch whether it had fled from any neighboring police agencies and was told it had not, per a Tempe police report. The Tempe officer called the car’s registered owner, the parent of the male driver, and through her was able to contact the female passenger and then the male driver. The female passenger told the officer that both had been shocked with a Taser, while the male told the officer that 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 individuals impersonating police officers. Giordano said he initially reacted similarly when he learned of the incident, describing it as “so acold extracurricular the bounds of our policies.” But once detectives began investigating, they realized Phoenix officers might be involved and transferred the case to a special investigations detail. “That’s erstwhile they started putting grounds together, including the automatic conveyance locator that did enactment a conveyance astat that determination astir the clip that the victims reported it occurred,” Giordano said, referring to the determination exertion successful metropolis vehicles. Vasquez and Felix had served eight and nine years with the Phoenix Police Department, respectively. Giordano, without elaborating, noted that both had previously violated section policy but that it was “nothing of this nature.” The Phoenix department’s probe and audit remain ongoing. The officers have a scheduled court appearance on Friday.