Marana cop who rammed suspect with car justified, board says

The Marana police officer who struck an armed suspect with his patrol car in February was found by a board of inquiry to have been justified in his use of deadly force.

In the report released on Wednesday, the board stated that they found the "non-typical force option" used by Officer Michael Rapiejko was reasonable.

"Officer Rapiejko made the decision not to shoot the suspect based on the firearms available to him, the scene behind the suspect and the rapidly evolving nature of this situation," the report states.

The board noted that Rapiejko didn't communicate his actions to the other officers on the scene, saying that if there's time, intended use of force should be conveyed prior to the action.

In February, Marana police responded to a northwest Tucson Walmart store, where a man, later identified by police as Mario Miranda Valencia, 36, had allegedly stolen a rifle.

The suspect was wanted in connection with multiple other crimes throughout the Tucson area, including car theft, starting a fire at a church, armed robbery and home invasion.

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Valencia took the loaded rifle and began walking toward area businesses, threatening to shoot himself and firing a shot into the air as police pursued him.

Rapiejko’s patrol car was seen on police dash camera videos released by Marana police, speeding past another police car and striking Valencia, whose body flew into the air.

Valencia was taken to a hospital, where he was treated for two days. Upon release, he was booked into the Pima County jail on multiple felonies.

Although the inquiry report praised Rapiejko's actions in quickly controlling the potentially deadly situation, the officer who was leading the pursuit was mentioned for his lack of initiative.

Officer Daniel Rowan "did not develop a strong plan of action to address the deadly threat posed by the suspect," the report states, although it acknowledged that less than two minutes elapsed from the beginning of his pursuit and when Rapiejko hit the suspect with his car.

In April, the Pima County Attorney's Office declined to prosecute Rapiejko, saying there was insufficient evidence to prove he had the criminal intent for aggravated assault when he struck Valencia.