Phoenix Police chief has ‘unanswered questions’ after 2 officers arrested for violent traffic stop

Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano said Monday that investigators still do not know why two of his former officers initiated the unreported traffic stop that led to them being fired and arrested for allegedly assaulting two people.

“I still have a ton of unanswered questions, so our investigators will continue to work through that,” Giordano told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s The Mike Broomhead Show. “As of right now, it appears it was just for a traffic violation, but we’ll continue to look into that to see if we get a better idea of why that stop was made.”

When did the alleged violent traffic stop happen?

Over the weekend, the officers were identified as Luis Vasquez Jr. and Antonio Felix. Both worked for the South Mountain Precinct. Giordano announced that they had been fired and arrested in connection with the incident earlier this month.

The Phoenix PD has arrested former officers Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez Jr. on numerous charges. Police Chief Giordano announced the arrest and their firing from the department today. pic.twitter.com/IblePpoiiK

— Phoenix Police (@PhoenixPolice) August 23, 2026

Giordano said he was shocked when he first learned about the allegations.

“No one wanted to believe that it was on-duty Phoenix police officers,” Giordano said. “But when the evidence became overwhelming that it was, we had to take action, and I had to put my emotions aside and become professional and work through an investigation to get together all of the information to ensure justice for those victims.”

Giordano said he hasn’t spoken to the victims, but is open to hearing from them.

“I will if they’re willing to speak sit down and speak with me,” he said.

What are the former Phoenix officers accused of?

According to Phoenix Police, Vasquez and Felix stopped a Dodge Charger near 19th Avenue and Broadway Road around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 5.

The driver and passenger reported that the officers damaged a window to unlock the vehicle and forcibly removed them.

Police said Vasquez punched the male driver and threatened to shoot him while Felix used a Taser. The female passenger was placed in an armbar, handcuffed and threatened.

The driver was able to leave the scene, but his vehicle later became disabled near Priest Drive and Baseline Road in Tempe. The woman was released at the scene.

What charges do the former officers face?

Vasquez and Felix were booked into jail on suspicion of aggravated assault, kidnapping, assault involving a bound or physically restrained victim, threatening or intimidating, criminal damage, hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence.

Giordano said the officers allegedly violated department policy before any force was used because they did not report the traffic stop or activate their body-worn cameras.

“The Phoenix Police Department has very robust policies and procedures in everything that we do, and from the minute you make a traffic stop to the minute that traffic stop’s concluded, everything has to be recorded on your body-worn camera. You have to advise dispatch where you are,” Giordano said. “You have to let everyone know what you’re doing, and that was not done in this case.”

Did the officers begin the stop with ill intent?

Giordano said investigators are still working to determine the officers’ intentions.

“We just don’t know that right now,” he said when asked if Vasquez and Felix intended to hurt the couple. “When everything culminates together, it looks like there might have been something with ill intent.”

He said that while there had been some discipline issues with Vasquez and Felix in the past, nothing rose to this level.

“There’s no indication at this time that something [like this] had happened before. And if I had been aware or their chain of command had been aware, they would not have been in the position to be able to do this,” Giordano said.

Man and woman who reported violent traffic stop needed medical treatment

The investigation began after a Tempe police officer found the male driver’s disabled vehicle. Two checks with dispatch found no record of a traffic stop involving the car, leading the Tempe officer to initially suspect that the incident may have been an attempted carjacking by people posing as police.

Giordano praised the Tempe officer’s handling of the situation.

“The officer that took that initial investigation did a phenomenal job tracking down information, tracking down the victims, connecting us to the victims and allowing us to work the the investigation cooperatively,” Giordano said.

Tempe police then completed a report and interviewed both alleged victims. Police said the man and woman were injured during the encounter and needed medical treatment.

Phoenix police dispatchers later discovered that Vasquez and Felix had checked the vehicle’s license plate and questioned them about it. Both officers denied conducting a traffic stop or interacting with the vehicle’s occupants, police said.

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