PHOENIX — The two Phoenix police officers arrested and fired after being accused in a violent “off the books traffic stop” have now been officially charged.
ABC15 obtaining court documents which show Antonio Felix and Luis Vasquez Jr. are now facing multiple charges including kidnapping, aggravated assault, and tampering with physical evidence.
The incident is alleged to have happened earlier this month in South Phoenix.
We are also learning that Felix is named as a defendant in a separate lawsuit filed in 2024.
The suit, filed July 29, 2024, in Maricopa County Superior Court alleges that on Aug. 23, 2023, Felix was driving his police SUV when he attempted to pass another car, crossing double yellow lines into oncoming northbound traffic before merging back and colliding with another driver.
According to the complaint, the other driver was working as an Uber driver at the time.
That driver says he was traveling south on South 1st Street through the intersection of East Jefferson Street when he noticed a Phoenix Police SUV approaching his vehicle with no emergency lights activated.
The suit alleges Felix attempted to go around the vehicle, crossed the double yellow lines to go north into oncoming traffic, then merged back into the southbound lane and collided with the the other vehicle.
The Phoenix PD crash report says Felix told the responding officer he was traveling approximately 25 mph southbound when the other car appeared to pull into parking bays on the west side of South 1st Street.
Felix said instead of parking, that car made a wide arc to the right and attempted a U-turn in front of him. The other driver told officers he was traveling approximately 7 mph when Felix passed on the left and then hit his vehicle.
The city of Phoenix denies the allegations in court records, saying it does not believe the other driver was injured.
The crash report says the driver was transported to Banner University Medical Center for precautionary measures.
A supplemental report notes his status was updated by hospital staff as stable and non-life-threatening, with further testing still pending at that time. It was the other driver who received a citation for an unsafe turn midblock. Both vehicles were towed from the scene.
The lawsuit seeks damages including medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and general damages.
The case was filed as a Tier 1 action, meaning damages claimed are $50,000 or less. The city and Felix, represented by the Phoenix City Attorney’s Office, filed their answer in September 2024.
ABC15 spoke with the other driver, the plantiff in the case, who did not want to go on camera, but says he feels like the city is rushing him to wrap up the case.
An arbitration hearing is scheduled for Sept. 18, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. at a Phoenix law office serving as the arbitration venue.
CITY LEADERS RESPOND TO COMMUNITY CONCERNS
“I don’t want anyone else out there in the community that was victimized not to get the justice they deserve,” said Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano.
He sat down with ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing in a one-on-one interview Monday.
ABC15 has received messages from people describing their own concerning interactions, after learning that Felix and Vasquez Jr. were arrested.
The ABC15 Investigators are still following up with those who wrote in.
Dave Biscobing asked Chief Giordano if that’s a concern of his, and the options people have to come forward.
“It’s concern of mine that that there might be other victims out there,” said Chief Giordano. “I have no reason to believe that. It’s just something that we need to make sure doesn’t exist. I would encourage them to come forward and call us. If you’re uncomfortable talking to a uniformed police officer, even a police officer at all, or even over the phone, you can call the Office of Accountability and Transparency.”
The ABC15 Investigators are continuing to push for answers from city leadership.
We took the same question to multiple council members including Anna Hernandez and Vice Mayor Kesha Hodge Washington.
They say if trust in police is broken, people can reach out to their offices instead.
“If there’s any other individuals who may have experienced something like this, please step forward,” said Vice Mayor Washington. “Allow us to do an opportunity to do the right thing in what seems like a bad situation.”
ABC15 is still working to sit down with Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.
Our team has put in multiple requests for an interview, but we are still waiting to hear back.
It’s been over a week since ABC15 first broke the story about the investigation into Felix and Vasquez Jr, but Tuesday was the first time Mayor Gallego addressed the allegations.
She sat down for a pre-scheduled interview with our news partners at KTAR.
“We are going to learn as much as we can from this incident to make sure that this never happens again,” said Mayor Gallego. “We think that there could be more of a story to continue to come out. We are looking at these officers’ history and trying to see if anything like this has happened before.”
Right now, she said there is no evidence of that.
City leaders will gather tomorrow for their first council meeting since the two officers were arrested.
ABC15 is committed to finding the answers you need and holding those accountable.
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