Two Arizona officers were fired and arrested after they allegedly assaulted a couple during a traffic stop.
Ex cops Luis Vasquez Jr and Antonio Felix allegedly beat and stunned an unidentified couple with a taser during an August 5 traffic stop in south Phoenix.
Phoenix police said Vasquez and Felix forced a man and woman from their car by smashing the windows around 11.30pm, AZFamily reported.
The woman said officers put her in an armbar and tased her before handcuffing her and forcing her into a patrol car.
Vasquez allegedly punched the male driver repeatedly in the head, face and groin, while Felix allegedly tased him.
Vasquez also allegedly threatened to open fire on the man, counting down from three and ordering him to get out of the vehicle, according to a police report obtained by the New York Times.
Prosecutors alleged one officer told the woman, ‘he’s probably going to get shot’ and ‘we know where you live now’ before releasing her from the patrol car and leaving her stranded on the roadside without her cellphone, per AZFamily.
The state said the officers appeared to have taken the woman’s phone, which was later lost or destroyed. The man eventually drove away, while the woman was left to walk more than an hour home, the outlet reported.
Ex cops Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez Jr in court
The former officers allegedly beat and stunned an unidentified couple with a taser during an August 5 traffic stop in south Phoenix
By 12.50am on August 6, Tempe police discovered the abandoned car and asked Phoenix police to contact its registered owner – the male victim’s mother.
Both cops learned of the call and took it themselves, later reporting that they made no contact at the registered owner’s home.
‘When Phoenix Police dispatch saw that Vasquez and Felix had checked the license plate, they asked about it. Both former officers denied making any stop or having any interaction,’ investigators shared, per the outlet.
Prosecutors said the officers used sensitive DMV and address information from the victims’ plates and used their police knowledge to conceal their alleged actions and hinder the investigation.
Tempe police later contacted the registered owner and initially believed the incident was a carjacking by men posing as police officers.
After reporting the incident, both victims received medical treatment and photographed their injuries, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors added that neither officer activated a body camera or reported the incident, with Vasquez allegedly admitting he stayed silent out of fear of facing consequences for violating department policy.
Vasquez served with the Phoenix Police Department for eight years
Felix served with the department for nine years
Investigators have not determined why they stopped the couple and do not believe the officers knew the victims.
‘Their actions severely undermine trust in law enforcement and violate the standards we expect from those who serve,’ Chief Giordano wrote in a social media statement.
‘When we become aware of misconduct, we take action and we hold officers accountable’
Vasquez and Felix, who served with the Phoenix Police Department for eight and nine years respectively now face a slew of charges including kidnapping, aggravated assault, robbery, evidence tampering and felony assault involving the physical restraint of an individual.
A judge set bail at $100,000 for each ex-officer during their Saturday night court appearance, with electronic monitoring required if they are released.
