By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A Phoenix police spokesperson confirmed Wednesday that the two men accused of kidnapping, beating and robbing a man and woman in south Phoenix this month are Phoenix police officers.
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The Phoenix police chief turned down our request for an interview but did release a statement on social media.
Officers confirmed as suspects
Tempe police initially believed the incident was an attempted carjacking carried out by two men impersonating police officers, but Phoenix police confirmed the suspects were sworn Phoenix police officers.
It is not clear if the officers were on duty that night for official police business or acting on their own. There is no Phoenix police body camera footage and no report of this off-the-books traffic stop.
The incident
The incident happened on Aug. 5 around 11:30 p.m. A couple said they were forcefully removed from their car, had a stun gun used on them, punched and threatened at gunpoint by two police officers near 19th Avenue and Broadway Road.
The information about the violent encounter is coming from a Tempe police report. An investigation was opened after the victim’s car was found broken down near Priest Drive and Baseline Road.
According to the police report, investigators on the scene noted the smell of burnt rubber tires and saw the driver’s window was broken. The officer on scene confirmed the car had not recently fled from neighboring agencies, then called the car’s owner.
The car’s owner told police her son was driving the car that night. While she was on the phone with an officer, her son’s girlfriend arrived at the apartment and sounded scared.
Girlfriend’s account
The girlfriend reported that while her boyfriend was driving, she and her boyfriend were pulled over by what looked like an older model police SUV with red and blue lights. According to the police report, the Tahoe stopped them by causing a fender-bender, and two officers got out of the vehicle.
The officers approached both sides of the couple’s car, tried to open both doors and pulled out the driver’s window, the report states. The girlfriend said she was held in an arm bar, handcuffed, tased, pushed to the ground and put in the back of the police car.
The police report says the officers also beat up and used a stun gun on the boyfriend, pulled out some of his hair and threatened to shoot him. He was able to get back in his car and drive away. The two officers then let the girlfriend go, and she walked about an hour home.
Investigation
Tempe police initially believed the men in the police vehicle were impersonating law enforcement and that their actions amounted to criminal conduct, including robbery, assault and kidnapping.
According to the victims, the officers never explained what prompted the traffic stop. The victims felt like suspects and were afraid at first to report what happened because they didn’t want to talk to police or get arrested for fleeing the scene.
Phoenix police say the two officers are on administrative leave and are the subjects of a criminal investigation.
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Victims’ condition
The family of one of the victims said the couple is in their early 20s and is shaken up but physically healed.
The Phoenix police officer union, Phoenix Law Enforcement Association (PLEA), said in a statement that allegations are not proof and called for a fair investigation.
“The Phoenix Law Enforcement Association is aware of the ongoing investigation involving two Phoenix Police officers and allegations of potential criminal conduct.
“We want to be clear about two things.
“First, these officers are entitled to the same presumption of innocence and due process afforded to every person in this country. An investigation is not a conviction and allegations are not proof. We will defend the due process rights of our members and ensure they are treated fairly throughout this process. We will not participate in a rush to judgment before all the facts are known.
“At the same time, wearing a Phoenix Police badge comes with enormous responsibility. If credible evidence ultimately establishes that officers knowingly engaged in criminal conduct and betrayed public trust, PLEA will not excuse it or defend the conduct. The actions of an individual officer should never tarnish the reputation of the thousands of men and women who serve this community honorably every day.
“The investigation remains ongoing and no conclusions should be drawn until it is complete. PLEA will respect that process, insist that our members’ rights are protected, and reserve further comment until the facts are established.”
In a statement, Poder In Action urged city officials to conduct a fully transparent investigation and hold the officers accountable if wrongdoing is substantiated.
“Phoenix PD is doing everything they can to convince us that they can police themselves, everything except putting a stop to their violence against our communities. In June they rattled off a list of reforms they’ve made in the time since the Trump administration retracted the DOJ’s report damning PPD for their rampant racial profiling and abuse of force.
Despite all the reforms PPD insisted would “fix” their department, the cracks are once again starting to show. No one who has been paying attention should be surprised after PPD shot 10 people in the first 8 weeks of Chief Giardano’s tenure a year ago. No amount of reform will solve the problem of police violence because policing is the problem.
Across the valley this year we have seen police abuse their access to FLOCK cameras, attempt to bait students into false assault charges, and now power off their body cams to brutalize community members in secret.
How long will we let city officials pretend that policing keeps us safe?
We demand a fully transparent investigation and that these officers be fired for their violence and misconduct. And as our communities continue the fight to live safe and healthy lives in this city, we demand that the victims be awarded restitution that reflects the severity of the abuse they have endured.”
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