The former NYPD officer who was seen on dramatic dash cam video ramming his police cruiser into an armed suspect in an Arizona suburb was the subject of a civil lawsuit in Manhattan in 2005, according to a published report.
Tucson NBC affiliate KVOA reports New York City settled a civil suit against the NYPD for $20,000 after a 2005 altercation with then-officer Michael Rapiejko and a family who had parked a car in Manhattan. Rapiejko, now an officer with the Marana Police Department, was seen on widely watched video ramming his patrol car into 36-year-old Mario Valencia, sending the suspect flipping into the air.
According to documents obtained by KVOA, the plaintiff alleged that he was with his wife and four kids and had just parked his car when Rapiejko allegedly approached, pointed his gun at him and ordered him to get into the car. He threatened to shoot, then handcuffed and choked the man, the documents allege.
The city settled the case in 2008, and the plaintiff agreed to dismiss all the claims. The city and a defense team for Rapiejko denied threatening or choking the man, but admitted he pointed a gun and ordered them to get back into the car.
The case was settled the same month Rapiejko got a new job with the Tucson Police Department, KVOA reports.
The documents surfaced days after the Marana Police Department released dramatic video of Rapiejko running down Valencia. The officer was cleared of criminal wrongdoing in the case and is under an internal departmental review, but the town's police chief has said the 34-year-old cop's gambit probably saved lives.
An attorney for Valencia, who survived the crash and was charged with several felonies, has said that the tactic was "clearly excessive police force."
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Video from two different police cruisers shows Valencia walking down a busy business corridor with a rifle in his hands. At one point, Valencia points the rifle at himself and threatens to kill himself.
One of the dash cam videos shows an officer slowly driving behind Valencia as he shoots the rifle in the air. That officer tells others to stay back because the suspect is armed.
But 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.
