Two Phoenix police officers, Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez, were fired and arrested following a violent, unreported traffic stop on August 5, according to Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano. The officers face charges including aggravated assault and kidnapping after allegedly assaulting a male driver and female passenger, and using a Taser on them during the encounter. The traffic stop was not reported, and the officers did not activate their body-worn cameras, leaving no video evidence of the incident. However, Giordano stated that detectives have established probable cause that the crimes were committed, based on statements from the victims and other evidence.

The victims reported that during the late-night traffic stop, Vasquez punched the male driver and threatened to shoot him, while the woman was handcuffed and removed from the vehicle. The man managed to drive away, abandoning the car in neighboring Tempe, while the woman was released at the scene. A Tempe police officer who responded to the abandoned car later interviewed the victims, who described being Tased and physically assaulted by the officers, who repeatedly asked why they had been stopped. The Tempe officer initially suspected an attempted carjacking by individuals impersonating police. Phoenix Police Chief Giordano noted that the incident was “so far outside the bounds of our policies” and that the investigation, which included data from the officers’ automatic vehicle locator, led to their arrest and termination. Both officers had prior policy violations, though Giordano stated these were not of a similar nature. The Phoenix Police Department’s investigation and audit are ongoing, with the officers scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

This is a summary. Read the original at yahoo.com.