Probable cause found despite no video evidence, chief says
PHOENIX — Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano announced Saturday that two Phoenix police officers had been fired and arrested on charges including aggravated assault and kidnapping following an investigation into an unreported Aug. 5 traffic stop in which the officers physically assaulted a man and a woman and used a Taser on them.
Officers Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez did not report the traffic stop and did not activate their body-worn cameras, police said.
“Detectives have confirmed that the two former officers physically assaulted both the man and woman during the traffic stop,” Giordano said at a Saturday news conference. “The investigation also shows that a Taser was used on the victims during the stop,” he added.
Detectives established probable cause for the arrests despite the absence of any video evidence from the encounter, Giordano said.
“There is no video evidence, but we established what we believe is probable cause that these crimes were committed,” Giordano said, adding there was no indication that the officers knew the victims.