Police car running over suspect was act of safe driving

We look for every little thing a police officer does wrong, and we should.

They have the authority to use deadly force and, because of that, must be held to the highest standard.

So it certainly might seem excessive to see video of a police officer running over an armed suspect with his patrol car. To see the guy fly into the air and the car smash into a low wall. You can see why the video would be all over the Internet and why an attorney for the suspect would be outraged.

It's what we do these days. We get outraged. Over just about everything.

But in this case, the police in the Tucson suburb of Marana say that Mario Valencia, 36, had robbed a convenience store. They say he broke into a church. They say he invaded a home. They say he stole a car. The police say that Valencia then drove the stolen car to Marana and then stole a rifle from a Wal-Mart.

There could be mental health concerns here, for sure.

Valencia was found walking down a street. He pointed the weapon at himself.

Who knows what would have happened? Suicide? Or stray bullets? Another break-in? A shoot-out with police?

Perhaps he could have been talked into surrendering peacefully and no one would have been harmed and no property damaged.

Instead, by way of police car cameras we see Valencia walking down the street with the rifle in his hands. We see a patrol car slowly following him, and then another car, driven by Officer Michael Rapiejko speed forward, strike the suspect and send him flying into the air.

Valencia could have been killed. He wasn't. He's now in custody.

Rapiejko is on active duty again after a review of the case.

I am not outraged.

I am grateful.

I would not describe what Rapiejko did as excessive force. I would describe it as the ultimate act of safe driving.