Taser Stop Vanishes — Cops Busted

Phoenix’s police chief says two officers were arrested and fired after a violent, unreported traffic stop where investigators say a Taser was used on a man and a woman.

Story Snapshot

Chief Matt Giordano said former officers Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez Jr. were arrested and fired after a violent Aug. 5 stop.
Investigators say both victims were assaulted and a Taser was used during the stop near 19th Avenue and Broadway.
The stop was not reported and body cameras were not activated, violating policy and obscuring evidence.
Tempe Police first flagged the case when a man reported being followed and no record of a stop existed.

What Phoenix Police Say Happened

Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano said detectives arrested and the department fired officers Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez Jr. after confirming force against a man and a woman during an Aug. 5 traffic stop around 11:30 p.m. near 19th Avenue and Broadway. Giordano said the investigation shows a Taser was used on the victims during the stop. Local outlets reported the action after Giordano’s press conference on Aug. 22 and Aug. 23, which outlined the timeline and discipline.

Giordano said the traffic stop was not reported by either officer and their body-worn cameras were not activated, which breaks policy and blocks normal review. The lack of a call record, video, or standard paperwork is part of the case. The department linked Felix and Vasquez to the stop and moved to arrest them after interviews and evidence review. Coverage across several Phoenix outlets matched the core facts of the arrests and firings.

How The Case Emerged And What Is Known

Tempe Police first encountered the episode when a man said he was followed after the stop, but officers found no official record of it. Tempe then alerted Phoenix Police, which opened a criminal investigation and later announced the arrests and firings. Reports say Phoenix detectives reviewed radio traffic and automatic vehicle location data as part of the probe. Officials have not released full charging documents or affidavits in the material reviewed.

Media summaries describe physical assaults on both occupants, including a Taser during the stop, but the exact step-by-step account varies by outlet. Some reports mention punches and joint holds; others describe force more generally. That gap reflects that the public narrative still relies on press statements rather than a single shared case file. Officials say the two former officers gave voluntary statements with lawyers, but those statements are not public in the available reporting.

Why Missing Camera Footage Matters For Accountability

Body-worn cameras often shape outcomes in misconduct cases because they add direct evidence. A New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board report found that access to camera video greatly increased clear findings in investigations, changing how many cases could be fully resolved. Legal scholarship has also flagged weak enforcement around required recording, which leads to gaps when footage is missing and raises fairness concerns in later proceedings.

COURT APPEARANCE: The two PHX PD officers (who were fired and arrested) appeared before a judge late Saturday night. MCAO described allegations of a violent “off the books traffic stop”. Both Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez Jr. have a $100k secured appearance bond. If they are… https://t.co/im8Tbc9lgP pic.twitter.com/IX48DrIIwT

— Ashley Holden (@ashleyvholden) August 23, 2026

In Phoenix, the department says no body cameras were activated and no stop report was filed. That absence burdens investigators and the public, who now must rely on interviews, radio data, and forensics instead of video. Research shows missing recordings can distort fact-finding and has led some analysts to propose stronger remedies to deter non-recording. The Phoenix case highlights how simple policy failures around cameras can undermine trust and delay clear answers.