An off-duty Phoenix police officer and his friend were arrested early Saturday morning at a strip club on suspicion of pointing a gun at security guards following a parking lot brawl, police say.

Scott Gomez, a 36-year-old officer assigned to the Estrella Mountain Precinct, and Fransisco Vallarta, 36, were at the club with two women around 2:45 a.m., according to Phoenix Police Sgt. Tommy Thompson.

As they were leaving the club near the 1900 block of north Black Canyon, the two got into altercation with four men that turned into a fight. Security guards sprayed all of the men with pepper spray or some other chemical agent, Thompson said.

The fight was broken up but Vallarta allegedly got a gun from his vehicle and pointed it at security guards and told them he was a Phoenix police officer, Thompson said. The security guards, some of whom were armed, pointed their guns at Vallarta and convinced him to drop his weapon, he said.

While Vallarta was being detained by the guards, Gomez is alleged to have gotten a gun out of his vehicle and he pointed it at the them, Thompson said. At that time, the guards did not have their weapons out, he said.

Gomez was also detained by the security guards and both men were turned over to responding officers.

Criminal investigators from the department, as well as investigators from the Professional Standards Bureau, went to the club to conduct both criminal and internal investigations.

After consulting with victims and witnesses, detectives arrested Gomez and Vallarta on aggravated assault charges. Both were booked into jail.

Gomez was charged with four counts of aggravated assault and Vallarta was charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count of impersonating a police officer, Thompson said.

Gomez will be placed on administrative leave, pending the conclusion of the internal investigation, Thompson said.