Luis Vasquez Jr. and Antonio Felix were fired after investigators examined an Aug. 5 encounter in south Phoenix.
PHOENIX, AZ — Two Phoenix police officers were fired and arrested Saturday after investigators concluded they assaulted a man and woman during an Aug. 5 traffic stop that was not reported and during which their body-worn cameras were not activated, authorities said.
Former officers Luis Vasquez Jr. and Antonio Felix, both assigned to the South Mountain Precinct, were taken into custody Aug. 22 after a criminal investigation into the encounter near 19th Avenue and Broadway Road. Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano said investigators determined that both officers used physical force during the stop and that a Taser was used. Police said the former officers face several felony allegations, including aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, kidnapping, threatening and intimidating, criminal damage, hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence.
The encounter happened about 11:30 p.m. Aug. 5 while Vasquez and Felix were on duty, according to Phoenix police. Authorities said the officers stopped a vehicle occupied by a man and woman, broke a window and forced them from the car. Police said the woman was placed in an arm bar, shocked with a Taser and restrained. The driver was also assaulted and shocked with a Taser, investigators said. Police said Vasquez threatened to shoot the driver during the encounter. There was no indication that the officers and the two occupants knew one another before the stop.
The driver eventually got back into the vehicle and left the scene. The woman, who authorities said had been restrained in a police vehicle, was later released. The car eventually overheated and was abandoned near Priest Drive and Baseline Road in Tempe. A Tempe police officer investigating the disabled vehicle began looking for its occupants and learned about their account of the earlier traffic stop.
The circumstances initially led Tempe police to suspect that the man and woman might have encountered people impersonating police officers. Dispatch records did not show that a law enforcement agency had reported stopping the vehicle. According to Phoenix police, dispatchers later determined that Vasquez and Felix had checked the vehicle’s license plate. When asked about it, both officers denied making a stop or having contact with the occupants, police said.
The Tempe investigation ultimately brought the allegations to the attention of Phoenix police. Vasquez and Felix were placed on administrative leave Aug. 13 as the department’s Special Investigations Detail examined the case. Phoenix police had previously confirmed that force was used during the traffic stop but was not reported as required by department policy. The department also said neither officer activated a body-worn camera during the incident.
Giordano announced the arrests and firings Saturday after investigators interviewed both officers in the presence of their attorneys. He said investigators had developed substantially more information about what happened during the stop. “There is no excuse for the conduct that these two officers engaged in,” Giordano said. He also said the alleged actions damaged public trust and violated the standards expected of Phoenix officers.
Vasquez had worked for the Phoenix Police Department for eight years and Felix for nine years, according to police. Both had been assigned to patrol duties at the South Mountain Precinct. Giordano said both former officers had previous policy violations, though the department did not immediately provide details about those matters. Police also said investigators had found no evidence that additional officers were currently on administrative leave in connection with the case.
The arrests include allegations of aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, kidnapping, felony assault involving a person who was bound or otherwise physically restrained, threatening and intimidating, criminal damage, hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence. The allegations will be subject to the criminal court process, and the arrests do not establish guilt. The Phoenix Law Enforcement Association said the conduct described in the allegations was serious and that the evidence should be considered through the judicial process.
The case could also affect matters beyond the criminal charges. Before the arrests, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said it was reviewing open cases in which the officers were identified as witnesses and assessing what effect, if any, the investigation could have. Phoenix police also said the Professional Standards Bureau would examine whether other people were involved and whether the case revealed broader concerns within the department. Giordano said that administrative work would continue despite the officers’ termination.
Felix and Vasquez were being transferred to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for booking Saturday evening, authorities said. The criminal case remains pending, while Phoenix police continue their administrative review of the incident and the circumstances surrounding the unreported stop.
Author note: Last updated August 23, 2026.