Phoenix Police Criminal Investigation: Tempe Report Reveals Violent Traffic Stop Details
Phoenix police have launched a criminal investigation into two of their own officers after a Tempe police report revealed new details of a violent traffic stop in south Phoenix in which two people say they were beaten, tased and held during an encounter that was never officially documented by the department.
According to the 12-page Tempe police report, the incident began just after midnight on August 6, 2026, when a Tempe officer responding to a call for a disabled vehicle found an abandoned car near Priest Drive and Baseline Road. The driver’s side window was broken and appeared to have been pulled outward from the vehicle. Police contacted the vehicle’s owner, who told officers her son had been driving it with his girlfriend. When Tempe police interviewed the two, they said they had been pulled over near 19th Avenue and Broadway Road by what appeared to be a police car with its red and blue lights activated.
The victims told investigators that two suspects approached the driver’s and passenger’s doors and attempted to open them from outside, with one of the suspects grabbing the driver’s side window and pulling it outward before unlocking the doors. According to the Tempe report, the two motorists were beaten and tased by men the driver believed were riding in a marked police vehicle. The suspects allegedly committed a range of offences during the encounter, including aggravated assault, armed robbery, kidnapping and impersonating a police officer.
That night, the responding Tempe officer checked with neighbouring law enforcement agencies to determine who had conducted the traffic stop. According to the report, no agency, including Phoenix police, had reported pulling the vehicle over at the time, prompting the officer to note in his report that he began to suspect the two victims may have been targeted in an attempted carjacking by individuals impersonating police officers.
Phoenix police confirmed on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, that two of their officers had in fact conducted a traffic stop in south Phoenix on August 5 at approximately 11:30 p.m. The department said the officers used force during the stop but did not report the use of force as required by policy, and failed to activate their body-worn cameras. In a statement, the department said, “During the traffic stop, force was used by the officers and not reported as required by policy, including the failure to activate their body-worn cameras,” adding, “Although details remain limited at this early stage, we recognize the seriousness of any allegation involving potential criminal behavior by our personnel.”
A Phoenix police spokesperson said both officers were immediately placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of a full investigation. The department’s Special Investigations Detail is conducting the criminal investigation, after which the Professional Standards Bureau is expected to launch a separate administrative investigation to determine what internal policies the officers may have violated.
Tempe Police clarified in their own statement that the alleged victims “did not say they thought the suspects were Phoenix Police,” noting instead that “the victims were unsure of who the suspects were, but believed them to be ‘police’ of some sort.” A Phoenix police spokesperson, identified in reporting as Fortune, said she did not expect Tempe police to release their report so quickly during an active and ongoing investigation, telling reporters, “It really does affect our case, unfortunately. But we can’t put the genie back in the bottle, obviously,” while stressing that the department was treating the allegations with the utmost seriousness regardless of the circumstances surrounding the report’s release.
Phoenix police have not publicly identified the two officers under investigation. Attorney Benjamin Taylor, who is not involved in the case, noted that if the suspects are confirmed to be the officers in question, they could face criminal prosecution or internal discipline through the Professional Standards Bureau, potentially including suspension or termination. A police union representative said it would not excuse or defend the officers should it be confirmed that they broke the law.
As of the time of filing, neither department had released further identifying details about the officers or provided an updated timeline for the completion of the criminal and administrative investigations.
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