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Report details alleged violent traffic stop by officers
Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano says officers involved in misconduct will be held accountable after two officers allegedly used force and failed to activate body cameras during an Aug. 5 traffic stop. FOX 10's Jacob Luthi reports.
PHOENIX - The Phoenix Police Department confirms a Tempe Police report detailing an Aug. 5 assault is connected to a criminal investigation involving two Phoenix Police officers.
The backstory:
According to the report, a couple told Tempe Police they were attacked in South Phoenix by two men they believed were police officers.
Investigators say the couple was pulled over near 19th Avenue and Broadway Road by two men in a white SUV who tried to force open the vehicle's doors before smashing the driver's window.
The report states a suspect opened the passenger side door, put a female "in an arm bar" while she held onto the driver. The report adds the suspect then went on to produce a Taser and applied it to the passenger's right thigh.
The police report adds that one of the suspects told the other to put a stun-gun "on a higher setting" and applied it to her back.
Phoenix police officers placed on leave after traffic stop
A criminal investigation is underway after two Phoenix officers allegedly failed to document the use of force and activate body cameras during an Aug. 5 traffic stop.
The suspects reportedly handcuffed the passenger, a female, and left her on the sidewalk.
According to the report, one of the suspects assaulted the driver for six minutes "during which he was repeatedly Tased and punched," adding the driver was punched "in the head with a closed fist multiple times, striking his eyes, nose, and face."
A suspect "pulled pieces" of the driver's hair out, with the driver adding that the suspect waved his gun around. The report goes on to say that the driver mentioned the suspect said "he was going to shoot him in three seconds and began counting down."
The driver fled in his vehicle and later abandoned it in Tempe after it overheated. A Tempe officer found the vehicle.
Dig deeper:
The couple did not immediately report the attack because they believed the men were actual police officers, according to documents.
The driver said he believed he would get in trouble for fleeing the scene.
A Tempe officer later told the couple there was no record of a law enforcement agency conducting a traffic stop on their vehicle and assured them they were victims of a crime, not suspects.
What they're saying:
Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano said the allegations are serious and do not reflect the department's standards or values.
"We must, and we will, continue to hold any officers involved in misconduct or criminal activity accountable," Giordano said. "Accountability is our priority."
Phoenix Police said Monday that force was used during a traffic stop that night, but the officers did not report it and failed to activate their body-worn cameras, which the department says violates policy.
What's next:
Both officers have been placed on administrative leave while the criminal investigation continues. Phoenix Police said they are not releasing additional details at this time.