Judge approves fun weekend trip for disgraced Phoenix cop

A disgraced Phoenix police officer facing felony charges for a violent, unreported stop will be going on a weekend trip to California to attend a party.

Over the objections of the victim’s attorney and state prosecutor, a Maricopa County Superior Court judge granted Luis Vasquez Jr.’s request on Monday morning to leave the state.

“This defendant shouldn’t be allowed to have a vacation over the weekend. He should be going to prison,” said Benjamin Taylor, the attorney representing the victims in the case. “People who do bad acts and get charged with felonies shouldn’t have the luxury to have fun.” 

Superior Court Judge Sigmund Popko allowed the former South Mountain precinct officer to drive to California for his godson’s birthday over the weekend and return Oct. 26. 

Vasquez Jr. and the other officer charged in the case have already appeared in court for a series of hearings scheduled to continue through May 2027. But on Thursday morning, all parties gathered in Popko’s 12th-floor courtroom to argue whether Vasquez Jr. could travel out of state. 

Jess Lorona, Vasquez Jr.’s attorney, argued that his client is an Arizona resident and not a flight risk because of his family connections in the state. Lorona said Vasquez Jr. would sign a waiver of extradition, allowing authorities to send him back to Arizona if he fled. 

Treena Kay, the state’s prosecutor, objected to Vasquez Jr.’s request because pretrial services would know where he was, but they couldn’t do anything to keep him from leaving California or even the country. 

Taylor argued that Vasquez Jr. shouldn’t be out of state custody at all and suggested raising his $100,000 bond and returning him to custody because of the nature of the incident. In a fiery argument, Taylor repeatedly called Vasquez Jr.’s trip a “vacation” and said the “defendant is guilty right now.” Lorona called Taylor’s “vacation” comments inappropriate and characterized Vasquez Jr.’s godson’s birthday as an “event.” 

Taylor also claimed that Vasquez Jr. repeatedly failed to show up to court when he was an officer, which Lorona disputed in an outburst. 

“That’s not true,” Lorona said.

“He could be at a party drinking. He could be at a party smoking. Who knows what he’s doing for these next three days,” Taylor told the court. 

Despite Taylor’s passionate objections, Popko disagreed and granted Vasquez Jr.’s request. 

“Court realizes this is not the typical case,” Popko said. “But brief periods of travel, particularly to a neighboring state, are not uncommon in cases.” 

In late August, two former Phoenix police officers, Antonio Felix and Vasquez Jr., were arrested for multiple felony charges, including kidnapping and aggravated assault. Earlier that month, the two officers pulled over a man and woman in a Dodge Charger near 15th Avenue and Broadway Road late at night. 

Vasquez Jr., an eight-year veteran with Phoenix Police, held a man at gunpoint and damaged the car’s driver’s side window, according to investigators. Felix put the woman in an arm bar, handcuffed, tased and pushed her to the ground before putting her in the back of the police car. Neither officer activated his body-worn camera during the stop, according to court records. The officers destroyed or concealed cellphone information and didn’t notify supervisors of the incident, prosecutors said. 

“The victims here are extremely traumatized,” Taylor said. 

The Phoenix Police Department also fired the officers for their conduct. The former officers have pleaded not guilty and have been released on bail with electronic monitoring. 

Vasquez Jr. would have to remain on electronic monitoring, complete an extraction form before leaving the state and provide pretrial services with the location where he’ll be. Lorona declined to comment on his client’s behalf after the hearing. 

“He shouldn’t even be on the streets,” Taylor said after the hearing, reacting to the judge’s decision. “He should be in jail.”