Two Phoenix Police Department officers, identified as Luis Vasquez Jr. and Antonio Felix,
accused of violently assaulting a couple during a traffic stop, have been fired and arrested.
According to the Phoenix Police Department, on August 5, 2026, at about 11:30 p.m., Vasquez and Felix were on duty in the area of 19th Avenue and Broadway Road when they conducted a traffic stop of a Dodge Charger driven by an adult male and occupied by an adult female passenger.
During the stop, the male driver and female passenger reported the officers forced them out of the vehicle by damaging the car window and unlocking the doors. The female passenger was placed in an arm bar, threatened with further force, handcuffed, and seated on the sidewalk. Vasquez punched the male driver while Felix deployed a Taser. Vasquez also threatened to shoot the driver. The male victim was able to drive away, and his vehicle later became disabled at Priest and Baseline Road. The female victim was unhandcuffed and released at the scene.
On August 6, 2026, at about 12:50 a.m., Tempe Police requested Phoenix Police to make contact with the registered owner of the abandoned vehicle near Priest and Baseline Road. The vehicle matched the one stopped by Vasquez and Felix. Both former officers learned about the call and took it, reporting that no contact was made at the home of the registered owner. 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.
Tempe Police completed the report and interviewed both victims, who were injured during the traffic stop and later sought medical treatment after reporting the incident.
Vasquez and Felix were arrested and booked for aggravated assault, kidnapping, felony assault involving a bound or otherwise physically restrained victim, threatening, and intimidating, criminal damage, and hindering prosecution, and tampering with evidence.
Vasquez had served with the department for eight years, and Felix had served for nine years. Both officers were assigned to patrol at the South Mountain Precinct.
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