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2 Phoenix officers arrested on allegations of assault at traffic stop
AP News • • nation
Key Points:
- Two Phoenix police officers, Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez, were fired and arrested for aggravated assault and kidnapping after an unreported traffic stop where they assaulted and shocked a man and woman with a Taser.
- The officers did not activate their body cameras or report the stop, and the victims reported the officers smashed a car window, punched the man, and threatened to shoot him during the late-night incident on August 5.
- The man escaped by driving away and abandoning the vehicle in Tempe, where a Tempe officer initially suspected an attempted carjacking by impersonators before connecting with the victims.
- Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano confirmed the officers had prior policy violations but nothing as severe as this incident, and the department's investigation and audit remain ongoing.
- Vasquez has been released from custody while Felix remains jailed, with both officers scheduled for a court appearance on Friday.
