PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Two Former Phoenix police officers allegedly admitted to their involvement in a violent traffic stop, according to newly released court paperwork.
The two former officers, Antonio Felix, 31, and Luis Vasquez Jr., 31, were fired and arrested on Saturday for what Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano called “egregious criminal conduct”.
Both former officers were booked Saturday night and face multiple felony charges, including aggravated assault, kidnapping, tampering with physical evidence, hindering prosecution, and threatening and intimidating, according to probable cause documents.
Former officers Luis Vasquez Jr. (left) and Antonio Felix (right) have been arrested for an alleged violent traffic stop.(Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)What the documents allege
Information about the traffic stop in the new court documents is consistent with the information previously released in a Tempe police report.
The encounter began just after 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 5, when Vasquez and Felix—driving an unmarked Phoenix police Tahoe—began following a Dodge Charger in south Phoenix, according to court paperwork.
The officers made “intermittent overhead light and siren activations,” which investigators described as “inconsistent with standard police traffic stop practices,” the paperwork states.
When the Charger stopped near 15th Avenue and Broadway Road, the patrol vehicle struck the rear bumper of the car, the documents state. Detectives said they later found damage on the Charger’s bumper matching the push bars on a Phoenix police Tahoe.
Vasquez and Felix then approached the vehicle — Vasquez on the driver’s side, Felix on the passenger’s side — and allegedly threatened to break a window if the two occupants didn’t get out, according to court records.
When the driver rolled his window down only slightly, Vasquez allegedly grabbed and bent it until it broke, then reached in and unlocked the doors.
The documents allege that Felix grabbed the woman in the passenger seat and threatened to break her arm if she didn’t get out, then used a Taser on her multiple times.
“The forensic download of his Taser showed six safety activations, with 29 electrical discharge events during the encounter, which corroborated the victim’s statements to investigators,” the state prosecutor said.
Vasquez then allegedly punched the driver repeatedly in the head, face, eyes, nose and groin, while Felix pressed a Taser against the driver’s arm and ribs. Vasquez allegedly told Felix to keep tasing the driver “until he does what he says.”
Vasquez then allegedly drew his handgun, threatened to shoot the driver in three seconds and began counting down, while Felix allegedly told him to shoot if the driver “does anything stupid.”
The driver briefly got out of the car before getting back in and driving away. The passenger was released a short time later; the officers allegedly told her, “He’s probably going to get shot, and we know where you live now.”
What the officers told investigatorsVasquez’s account
According to the court documents, Vasquez told detectives he believed he was stopping a drunk driver and admitted to following the car through multiple turns while switching his emergency lights on and off. He said the car’s window broke as he tried to pull the door open while the driver was closing it.
When the driver wouldn’t get out of the car and appeared to be reaching for something, Vasquez admitted to punching him and pulling his hair, court documents state. He also allegedly acknowledged drawing his gun and threatening to shoot the driver.
Vasquez said he later returned to the scene to retrieve items left behind from the stop, according to the court documents. He found the passenger’s cellphone but failed to secure it and ultimately lost it.
He told investigators he didn’t turn on his body camera or file a report “out of fear of the consequence of the multitude of policy violations,” according to the documents.
Felix’s account
Felix said he also believed he was stopping a drunk driver, according to the court paperwork. He said the situation “escalated quickly” when the car’s occupants refused to get out, which made him fear for his safety.
When investigators asked why he walked away and returned to the patrol car if he was afraid—or why neither officer called for backup or notified a supervisor—Felix allegedly did not respond.
“When asked if they had anything that could corroborate their accounts stated by them, no response was given,” court documents state.
First court appearance
At their initial court appearance Saturday night, a judge set a $100,000 secured appearance bond for each defendant, with electronic monitoring required if they are released.
Prosecutors said neither officer activated his body-worn camera during the stop, and that there was no radio traffic, no call for service, no use-of-force report and no supervisor notification — steps the state described as normally required under department policy.
Criminal defense attorney responds to allegations
“You’re doing something because you know you messed up, and there’s no other good reason for it,” said Phoenix-based criminal defense attorney Jason Lamm, who has experience both prosecuting and defending police officers.
While breaking department policy is not a crime in itself, Lamm noted it remains a critical piece of evidence for the prosecution.
“Jurors will ask why they didn’t do it,” Lamm said. “There may not be any video, but that is the officers’ fault. That is yet another thing prosecutors will argue expresses a consciousness of guilt.”
Austin Walker went to Vasquez’s home in Litchfield Park for comment. While residents inside were seen parting the curtains to look outside, no one answered the door.
A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, expressed concern over the allegations.
“It surprised me that I lived that close to them, but it doesn’t surprise me about the police behavior,” the neighbor said. “They are paid to protect and serve, but really, if you or I were to commit a crime and it was us versus a police officer’s statement, we would never be believed.”
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