Phoenix PD launches sweeping audit into officers arrested for violent traffic stop

The Phoenix Police Department said Wednesday morning that it is investigating itself, launching an internal audit of two former officers arrested for an unreported violent traffic stop that made national headlines. The City of Phoenix also released the disciplinary records of both officers.

Former Officers Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez Jr. were arrested on Aug. 22 on multiple felony charges including kidnapping and aggravated assault. Both officers were assigned to the South Mountain Precinct. Felix had served with the department for eight years, and Vasquez for nine.

The department will conduct an audit of the officers' time on the force, going through their reports, body camera footage, and calls for service to identify any other previous misconduct that requires investigation. The city also announced it will look into the officers' squad and precinct for any signs of systemic misconduct.

"The allegations against the officers are serious, and we recognize this investigation is an important issue to the community," the city wrote on its website announcing the records release and investigation.

"Both the community and the Police Department deserve confidence that this conduct is not widespread," the city added.

The city provided a summary of the officers' disciplinary backgrounds, noting that both were disciplined multiple times over the years. Vasquez was found to be within policy for an officer-involved shooting in 2025 and was given 14 commendations between 2019 and 2026. Felix received five commendations between 2020 and 2022.

According to the police department, Vasquez's disciplinary history includes:

• Failure to issue a citation in a collision investigation in 2021, which resulted in supervisory coaching.
• Four missed court appearances between 2021 and 2025, which resulted in supervisory counseling.
• Failure to thoroughly investigate a collision and failure to properly activate his body-worn camera in 2025, which resulted in a Written Reprimand.

Felix's disciplinary history includes:

• Failure to notify his Field Training Officer of a use of force during a 2018 incident until they returned to the precinct to write the report, which resulted in supervisory coaching.
• Three missed court appearances between 2018 and 2023, which resulted in supervisory counseling.
• Three minor police vehicle collisions between 2018 and 2022, all determined to be out of policy, which resulted in supervisory counseling.
• A community complaint about rudeness during a 2021 call for service. No policy violations were found, but he received coaching on his communication.
• Failure to complete two annual AZ POST requirements in 2024 due to industrial leave. His qualifications were completed upon his return in 2025.
• Failure to complete a report on a 2025 call for service regarding theft and threatening messages, which resulted in a Written Reprimand.
• Failure to complete an incident report for a 2026 call for service involving a missing juvenile by the end of shift. Discipline would have followed, but the case was still pending at the time of his termination.

The two officers and their attorneys could not be reached for comment in time for publication. The complete collection of released files is available through the city's public records portal.