PHOENIX (TNND) — Two Phoenix police officers have been fired and arrested after allegedly assaulting a couple during an unreported traffic stop earlier this month, authorities said.
Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez Jr., both 31, face multiple felony charges, including aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, kidnapping, threatening and intimidating, criminal damage, hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence. The alleged assault occurred during an Aug. 5 traffic stop near 19th Avenue and Broadway Road in south Phoenix.
According to a Tempe police report obtained by KNXV, the couple told officers they were pulled over by an SUV using lights and a siren about 11:30 p.m. The man and woman alleged the officers punched them, restrained them and used a Taser on them while they were still inside the vehicle.
The report said one officer allegedly pulled a handgun, counted to three and threatened to shoot the man if he did not get out of the car. The woman was allegedly handcuffed and pushed face-down onto the ground.
The man later escaped and drove away, but his vehicle broke down in Tempe, where he reported the alleged assault to police, according to the report. The woman said she was released after he fled and was warned, “We know where you live now.”
Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano said during a news conference that detectives determined the former officers physically assaulted both victims and used a Taser during the stop. The officers allegedly did not report the stop or activate their body-worn cameras.
Giordano said investigators found no video evidence of the incident but used the department’s automatic vehicle locator technology to place the officers’ marked police Tahoe at the scene.
“Their actions severely undermine trust in law enforcement and violate the standards we expect from those who serve,” Giordano said. “When we become aware of misconduct, we take action and we hold officers accountable.”
Giordano said investigators have found no indication the officers knew the victims.