Dashcam video shows Arizona officer intentionally running over suspect

[ReverendHellh0und]

[h=1]Dashcam video shows Arizona officer intentionally running over suspect[/h]

Police in Arizona said Tuesday that an officer who intentionally used his car to run into a suspect with a rifle probably saved the man's life.

The man's lawyer strongly disagrees. Video of the incident has stirred debate about what type of force police should have used to detain a man with a gun.
"Everything in the video seems to point towards an obvious excessive use of force. It is miraculous that my client isn't dead," said attorney Michelle Cohen-Metzger.
The incident was recorded February 19 on the dashcam of two Marana police cars that were following the suspect, 36-year-old Mario Valencia.

Dashcam video shows Arizona officer run over suspect - CNN.com

Holy crap....


Dudes running around with a rifle shooting into the air being chased by cops? Not sure I can find fault with the officer here.

[h=3]Timeline of events[/h]Tucson Police Sgt. Pete Dugan told CNN that Valencia was involved in several incidents in Tucson the day he was struck.
At 6:45 a.m., Valencia robbed a 7-Eleven in Tucson with a metal object in his hand. Authorities said he was dressed only in his underwear. He was charged with theft.
A little more than an hour later, police said, Valencia set a fire at a church for which he was charged with arson of an occupied structure.
Just after that he entered a home and stole a car, police said.
Authorities said he drove to a Walmart where he stole a .30-30 rifle and ammunition. He fled the store with Walmart employees in pursuit.

yeah, I'd run the d00d over too. :lol:

 

[WCH]

Like the Officer said, "we could have shot the guy"

He's doing fine now.

 

[Slyfox696]

I saw this last night on the news...I'm not certain the officer took the right approach (for many reasons), but I feel absolutely no sympathy for the man who was hit by the car. If you don't want to get hit by the car, put the gun down and follow the orders of the officer.

 

[tres borrachos]

Holy crap....


Dudes running around with a rifle shooting into the air being chased by cops? Not sure I can find fault with the officer here.





yeah, I'd run the d00d over too. :lol: [/FONT][/COLOR]

Saw this on MSNBC this morning, and I'd run him over too. Innocent people could have gotten killed.

I also can't find fault with the officer. This is nothing like the Walter Scott situation in a ton of ways.

 

[Blue_State]

Dude is lucky he got run over. Should have been shot.

 

[Crosscheck]

That was a precision hit that even the stunt drivers in Hollywood would envy. It would have been more safe if possible to hit him at another area of the sidewalk. There was no way for the officer to know what was on the other side of the pickup camper that he careened by. Luckily there was nobody on the other side of that camper but there could have easily been a person or even child.
I must admit I did enjoy just the glimpse of the suspect turning his head at the last motion to see what was coming. Still lucky no innocents were hurt.

 

[AGENT J]

Holy crap....


Dudes running around with a rifle shooting into the air being chased by cops? Not sure I can find fault with the officer here.





yeah, I'd run the d00d over too. :lol: [/FONT][/COLOR]

walking around shooting off a 30/30 with police right there . . . . hmmmm
unless more comes out, deadly force is justified in my opinion . . this guy luckily (for him) lived and wasnt shot 20 times.

the marlon brown cases was a case where a car was used improperly

in this case, so far, doesnt seem unjustified.

 

[Black Dog]

Actually we used cars to trap and take down suspects more than people realise. This or at least in my day was not that uncommon.

 

[Ikari]

Holy crap....


Dudes running around with a rifle shooting into the air being chased by cops? Not sure I can find fault with the officer here.





yeah, I'd run the d00d over too. :lol: [/FONT][/COLOR]

How the hell did that dude keep committing crimes, being charged with them, and still out roaming the streets?

But if he was running down the street firing a rifle in the air, then police can use deadly force. And they guy's still alive so there's that. This case doesn't seem nearly as egregious as the others we've seen lately with police shooting down unarmed suspects.

 

[Objective Voice]

I saw this last night on the news...I'm not certain the officer took the right approach (for many reasons), but I feel absolutely no sympathy for the man who was hit by the car. If you don't want to get hit by the car, put the gun down and follow the orders of the officer.

I saw this on the Today Show this morning. The guy did more than just walk around the neighborhood threatening to blow his head off if the cops got too close or firing the shot gun into the air. Before he was run down by the police cruiser, the suspect robbed a 7-Eleven, set fire to a house, then robbed a Wal-Mart shore where he stole the shot gun.

This is the type of person whose a threat to himself and the public-at-large. This is the type of guy cops need to take down any way possible. The cops actions in this case were 100% justified.

That was a precision hit that even the stunt drivers in Hollywood would envy. It would have been more safe if possible to hit him at another area of the sidewalk. There was no way for the officer to know what was on the other side of the pickup camper that he careened by. Luckily there was nobody on the other side of that camper but there could have easily been a person or even child.

I must admit I did enjoy just the glimpse of the suspect turning his head at the last motion to see what was coming. Still lucky no innocents were hurt.

They guy's just lucky he wasn't pent between the police cruiser and that brick retaining wall the cruiser crashed into.

 

[Slyfox696]

This is the type of person whose a threat to himself and the public-at-large. This is the type of guy cops need to take down any way possible. The cops actions in this case were 100% justified.

Taking action to stop the man was justified, no doubt. The method the officer chose was not necessarily the best. And no, I'm not sure what a better method would be.

Like I said, I have no problem with what happened to the suspect. He got what he deserved, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[mike2810]

Wonder if all of the negative stories regarding Police using firearms in the news had anything to do with the method selected, (ie. hit him with the car)?

 

[Bethlehem Bill]

it looks like deadly force was justified in this case


in general, while i was starting to get tired of each new thread on each new incident of police violence, i think this is actually a good thing

we should keep the spotlight on and reporting the cases where cops go too far and deserve to be punished

they will get the message that this needs to stop and that there is an unprecedented level of oversight today

hopefully we can get to a state where law enforcement is viewed as a community partnership; to instill relief - not fear - when we see cops driving around our neighborhoods

but in the mean time, the least we can do is stop having them kill people for the flimsiest of rationales

 

[csbrown28]

Holy crap....


Dudes running around with a rifle shooting into the air being chased by cops? Not sure I can find fault with the officer here.





yeah, I'd run the d00d over too. :lol: [/FONT][/COLOR]

As much as I can find fault with example after example of officers abusing their authority, my initial reaction is that, while unorthodox and something that instinctively offends most rational persons sensibilities, if I put aside the emotion, the officer probably did the right thing. I'm going to keep reading this thread and see if anyone that disagrees can sway me from my initial position....

I'm also inclined to believe that the officer in question put himself in extreme danger and should be accommodated for his selfless action....

 

[csbrown28]

Wonder if all of the negative stories regarding Police using firearms in the news had anything to do with the method selected, (ie. hit him with the car)?

Sorry, that just made me chuckle....Not sure why.

 

[mike2810]

Sorry, that just made me chuckle....Not sure why.

I should have put a :lamo:lol: on the post.

The event happened in the State I currently live in. While it was an unusual action for the LEO. It did work.

Gives new meaning to "take him out" :lamo

 

[Deuce]

Using a bullet would have cost the taxpayers less money.

 

[mike2810]

Using a bullet would have cost the taxpayers less money.

Either way, the guys defense attorney is already claiming excessive force.

Of course the defense attorney won't comment on the crimes the guy committed before the LEO action.

Just got to love some defense lawyers.:mrgreen:

 

[Objective Voice]

Taking action to stop the man was justified, no doubt. The method the officer chose was not necessarily the best. And no, I'm not sure what a better method would be.

Like I said, I have no problem with what happened to the suspect. He got what he deserved, as far as I'm concerned.

Granted, but the alternative(s), i.e., a direct frontal assault, surrounding him with multiple police vehicles in the hopes that you box him in and he surrenders, calling out the SWAT Team, all likely would have resulted in more violence and innocent people getting shot or killed. I cringed when I saw it, too. But once I learned of what this guy did beforehand* and realized he was walking into a commercial district with a loaded shotgun, I'm inclined to agree with the police officer's actions here. The man needed to be stopped quickly without putting the public at further risk.

Caught on camera: Cop rams suspect with police car - TODAY.com

*Correction: In my earlier post, I said the victim set a house on fire. I stand corrected. It wasn't a house; it was a church. But he DID commit a home invasion and stole someone's car before robbing the Wal-Mart.

 

[UtahBill]

Was Dirty Harry driving?
I agree, take him down any way you can....

 

[ReverendHellh0und]

Actually we used cars to trap and take down suspects more than people realise. This or at least in my day was not that uncommon.

Did you watch the vid? hhe more than "trapped" him, punted him. lol

 

[Peter King]

Like the Officer said, "we could have shot the guy"

He's doing fine now.

It is a miracle that he is alive, the best option would have been to give the man the option to surrender his gun and surrender to the police.

 

[Black Dog]

Did you watch the vid? hhe more than "trapped" him, punted him. lol

You missed the "and take down" part?

 

[reinoe]

This guy deserved to be run over. Not an egregious use of a squad car at all. Ironically the only time cops seem to use guns these days is if they can confirm an individual is unarmed.

 

[ReverendHellh0und]

You missed the "and take down" part?

that was more of a "launch" than a take down... :thumbs: