Dashcam video shows Arizona police officer ramming armed suspect

A dramatic dashcam video released by authorities on Tuesday shows a police officer in a Tucson, Arizona, suburb using his cruiser to ram an armed suspect, sending him flying in the air before the car smashes into a wall. The video comes at a time of heightened tension over the use of force by police across the country.

The man, Mario Valencia, 36, survived the Feb. 19 crash, and prosecutors cleared the officer of any wrongdoing. 

Police said he spent two days in the hospital after being arrested and was booked into Pima County Jail on multiple felony charges, including assault of a police officer. 

Video from two police cruisers shows Valencia walking in a commercial zone with a rifle in his hands. At one point, he points the rifle at himself and threatens to take his own life.

The dashcam recording from one of the cruisers shows an officer slowly driving behind Valencia as the suspect shoots the rifle in the air. That officer tells others to stay back because the suspect is armed.

Within seconds, a different officer drives his patrol car at high speed and rams into Valencia, sending him flying into the air. Officers with guns drawn quickly swarm the scene.

The officer who rammed the suspect has been identified as Michael Rapiejko. Marana Police Department spokesman Sgt. Chris Warren said Rapiejko was put on a standard administrative leave because the incident was considered use of force. The Pima County Attorney's Office cleared him of any wrongdoing, and he is back on the force, Warren said. An internal police investigation, however, is ongoing.

Police said Valencia is suspected of going on a crime spree that included an armed robbery of a convenience store, a church burglary and arson, a home invasion and a vehicle theft in Tucson. Police said the suspect drove to a Walmart in nearby Marana, where he stole a hunting rifle and ammunition and fled with store employees in pursuit.

He was then spotted by police walking toward several businesses and refused orders to drop the weapon and surrender, Warren said, adding that Valencia pointed the rifle at an officer at one point.

"Officers are taught, if they are in a deadly situation, to use whatever means and tools you have available," Warren said. "That's what happened."

Al Jazeera and wire services