An Arizona police department released the following video Tuesday, which shows an officer using a cruiser to ram an armed suspect in February.
The video depicts a Marana Police Department officer purposely hitting Mario Valencia, 36, who was armed with a stolen gun and shot into the air.
The video shows Valencia walking down West Coca Cola Place and you can hear an officer warning “stand off, stand off, the gun is loaded.”
Then you see a different cruiser, driven by Officer Michael Rapiejko, blasting forward and striking Velencia, throwing him into the air.
According to police, Valencia held up a 7-Eleven in Tucson, started a fire at a church, and then broke into a home and stole a car and drove to a Walmart in Marana.
In a statement, police say he asked a store employee to see a rifle and then used it as a club to bash a case and threaten the employee, and ran off with the rifle and a box of .30-30 ammunition. Police say he loaded the gun, pointed it at officers, but instead fired into the air before being hit by the car as he approached a business.
Lt. Tim Brunenkant says Rapiejko was cleared by the prosecutor’s office and that he was placed on paid leave, but returned to duty three days later.
Valencia was hospitalized for two days following the incident, according to KVOA. He was arrested on 11 counts that include armed robbery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, arson, burglary, shoplifting and theft. He is being held at the Pima County Jail.
