Questions continue to swirl around bizarre allegations a couple made about a violent traffic stop that landed two Phoenix police officers on administrative leave.
The couple described two men who weren't in the official uniform normally worn by police officers forcing their way into the vehicle and attacking them with fists and a stun gun without providing a reason for the stop, according to a Tempe police report.
The encounter between the couple and the men in what looked like a law enforcement vehicle was described in a 12-page report that suggested the couple were victims of multiple crimes, including armed robbery, kidnapping, aggravated assault and impersonating a police officer.
Two Phoenix police officers were recently placed on administrative
leave on suspicion of failing to document their use of force or activate their body cameras during a traffic stop, Cmdr. Mercedes Fortune said Aug. 17.
Phoenix Police Chief Matt Giordano addressed the allegations in a brief video the department posted to social media Aug. 19.
"We know there are many questions about the accusations against these two officers, and we understand community concern," Giordano said. "Those questions matter, and they deserve answers."Here's what to know about the situation as it stands.
Where did the traffic stop take place?
A man driving a red Dodge Charger with his girlfriend told Tempe police he was pulled over in south Phoenix after a white SUV with flashing emergency lights briefly activated its siren about 11:30 p.m. Aug. 5, according to a Tempe police report.
The Dodge Charger's driver said he noticed a white SUV that appeared to be a marked police vehicle had activated its emergency lights while driving north on 11th Avenue near Southern Avenue, but that he didn't pull over until he heard a brief siren, the report said.
He stopped in the curb lane of Broadway Road between a bus stop and 17th Avenue.
How did the traffic stop begin?
Two men got out of the SUV after its front bumper tapped the Charger's rear bumper and immediately tried to open the Charger's doors, the report said. One man ordered the driver to exit the vehicle, while the other threatened to smash the passenger window, the report said.
What did the men look like?
The man on the driver's side was described as a heavy-set Hispanic man in black clothing, and the man on the passenger side was described as a "skinny Middle Eastern or Indian male" in all blue clothing. They were described as 25 to 30 years old.
Neither man was in official uniform, according to the police report.
What kind of force are the men accused of using?
The man in blue was reported to have put the woman in an "arm bar" and threatened to break her arm before applying a stun gun to her right thigh, according to the report. The man in black recommended that he set the stun gun to a higher setting before he applied it to the woman's back while still restraining her, the report said.
The man in blue then pulled the woman out of the vehicle, handcuffed her and pushed her onto the sidewalk.
The woman was lying on her stomach while the two men assaulted her boyfriend for roughly six minutes by punching him in the face, ripping out pieces of his hair and applying a stun gun to his ribs and arms, the report said.
At one point, the man in blue placed the woman in the back of the two men's white SUV.
What happened while the woman was in the SUV?
When she was handcuffed and inside that vehicle, the woman in the traffic stop saw an open laptop with the screen visible and a radio near the center of the front passenger compartment and heard radio traffic, the report said.
"You guys are down at 19th? What's the situation over there? Do you need backup?" the dispatcher was quoted as saying in the report.
The report stated, "The suspect vehicle description provided is consistent with a white, older model police SUV (possibly Chevy Tahoe) sold at an auction," based on interviews the couple gave later.
Did the Dodge Charger's driver get out of his vehicle?
Yes, but only after the man in black drew a handgun from his right hip and told the driver he would shoot him in three seconds if he didn't comply before counting down, the report said.
The driver said, "Wait, wait, wait," and began to exit the vehicle when the man in blue, who had handcuffed the woman, told the other, "If he jumps out of the car or does something stupid, shoot him," the report stated.
The man who threatened to shoot the driver ordered him to put his hands behind his back and produced a pair of handcuffs, but the driver got back into the Dodge Charger and turned it on. The man who had threatened to shoot the driver earlier repeated his threat, saying he would shoot the driver if he drove off, documents said.
The driver appeared to ignore the threat and sped away east on Broadway Road.
What happened to the woman?
Left with the two men who had pulled them over, the woman's handcuffs were removed and she was released, documents said.
The two men commented, "Why would he do that? He's probably going to get shot," and the man who originally handcuffed her said, "We know where you live now," the report said.
The woman later tracked her phone to a Salt River wash near where the couple was pulled over. She factory reset her phone, fearing the men would use it to find her home address.
Did the Dodge Charger driver get away?
The man continued driving without being followed and reached Priest Drive and Baseline Road in Tempe when the car overheated and became disabled, according to the report. He walked from there to a relative's home in Guadalupe.
How did Tempe police become involved?
Sometime after the driver of the Dodge Charger left the overheated car, Tempe police officers responded to a call about the disabled vehicle and contacted the registered owner to notify the person that the car was about to be towed and where it could be picked up.
The owner, who turned out to be the driver's mother, said her son had permission to use the car and, based on the car's location, was likely visiting a family member in Guadalupe. She answered the door while on the phone with police to find her son's girlfriend standing before her.
The girlfriend sounded scared as she recounted the harrowing traffic stop with men who appeared to be Phoenix police officers, according to the report.
Did the couple report the stop to police?
They weren't going to make a police report, initially.
When a Tempe officer contacted her the next day, the driver's mother said her son and his girlfriend hadn't reported the incident as they were terrified of speaking with Phoenix police.
Her son was especially scared that police would arrest him for fleeing from the traffic stop, but a Tempe officer assured the mother there was no known history of law enforcement stopping her Dodge Charger on Aug. 5.
Tempe police interviewed the man and woman about their experience before referring the case to Phoenix police.
Where do things stand with the investigation?
Phoenix police's Special Investigations Detail was conducting a criminal investigation into the incident, after which the department's Professional Standards Bureau was to launch an administrative investigation to see what policies the officers may have violated, Fortune said.
Phoenix police have not identified the two officers placed on administrative leave.
Fortune said the department was treating the allegations extremely seriously and would conduct a thorough investigation.
Giordano reiterated that investigators needed time to conduct a thorough investigation, and he had "full confidence" in them finding the truth.
Giordano promised he would hold his officers fully accountable if wrongdoing were found.
"The allegations are serious, and they do not reflect the standard we expect or the values the public deserves," he said. "The actions of a few should never define an entire department."
Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at perry.vandell@arizonarepublic.com or 480-341-9433. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @PerryVandell.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Details about Phoenix traffic stop are as violent as they are bizarre
