( CNN ) An Arizona police chief on Wednesday supported an officer 's decision to drive his car into an armed suspect , saying that although the move could have killed the suspect , deadly force was justified . Video of the incident , recorded February 19 by the dashboard cameras of two Marana police cars , shows one of the cars running into a suspect with who had a rifle in the city about a half hour from Tucson . The suspect , 36-year-old Mario Valencia , survived and was hospitalized before being criminally charged . Marana police Chief Terry Rozema was asked Wednesday on CNN 's `` New Day '' whether police were fortunate that Valencia did n't die . `` That very well may be ... that it 's luck that he is still alive . The fact of the matter remains , though , deadly force was authorized , '' Rozema said . `` So if he ends up dying in that situation , ( then ) he ends up dying , and that 's unfortunate , ( but ) that 's not the desire of everybody , '' the chief added . The footage has stirred debate about what type of force police should have used . In one of the dashcam videos , an officer who was tailing a walking Valencia at slow speed reports over the radio that the suspect has fired one round in the air with a rifle he is accused of stealing that morning from a Walmart . Another patrol car zooms past , runs into the man from behind , then hits a short cinder block wall next to a driveway . Video from Officer Michael Rapiejko 's camera shows Rapiejko 's vehicle running into Valencia , with the windshield smashing as the car hits the wall . Police in Marana justified Rapiejko 's actions . `` We do n't know that if ( Rapiejko ) lets him go for another 10 seconds , ( Valencia ) does n't take somebody out in the parking lot , '' Rozema said . `` And then we 're answering some completely different questions : 'Why did n't you act sooner ? ... This guy had a gun ... Why did n't you stop this guy before he shot my wife , before he shot my husband , before he shot my child ? ' `` The video has stirred debate about what type of force police should have used to detain the man . Valencia 's attorney , Michelle Cohen-Metzger , told CNN on Tuesday that `` it is miraculous that my client is n't dead . '' `` Everything in the video seems to point towards an obvious excessive use of force , Cohen-Metzger said . Tucson Police Sgt . Pete Dugan told CNN that Valencia was involved in several incidents there the day he was struck . At 6:45 a.m. on February 19 , Valencia allegedly robbed a 7-Eleven in Tucson with a metal object in his hand . Authorities said he was dressed only in his underwear . He was charged with theft . A little more than an hour later , police said , Valencia set a fire at a church for which he was charged with arson of an occupied structure . Just after that he entered a home and stole a car , police said . Authorities said he drove to a Walmart in Marana , where he allegedly stole a .30-30 rifle and ammunition . He fled the store with Walmart employees in pursuit . Police encountered him in a business park walking down the road . An officer told him several times to drop the rifle , Lt. Tim Brunenkant with Marana police said in an email containing a timeline of events . Valencia , police said , walked away from the officer , turned a corner and stopped . Valencia pointed the rifle at the officer then walked away again toward a Coca-Cola bottling plant and another business . `` As Mario Valencia briskly walked towards Sargent Controls ( local manufacturer ) , Officer Michael Rapiejko uses his marked police car to stop the dangerous situation Mario Valencia created , '' Brunenkant wrote . Brunenkant also said by phone that before Rapiejko 's encounter with Valencia , the suspect had pointed the rifle at his head multiple times and threatened suicide before fleeing . Rozema said that Valencia 's firing of the weapon , his refusal to obey the first officer 's commands to drop the gun and the pointing of the gun at the officer were key . `` And so you have another officer who sees and seizes an opportunity to end the threat and put an end to the situation , '' the chief said . Cohen-Metzger criticized the fact that Rapiejko hit Valencia from behind . `` My client 's back was turned and the officer drove right into him , '' she said . `` It is n't that dissimilar to a police officer shooting a fleeing suspect in the back . '' CNN affiliate KOLD reported Valencia was in serious condition when he was taken to the hospital and was released into police custody two days later . Valencia faces 15 charges , including three counts of aggravated assault , three counts of armed robbery and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor . Cohen-Metzger said he had a prior record . His next court appearance is May 18 . He is in the Pima County Jail . Authorities said no charges have been brought against the officer . CNN 's Tony Marco contributed to this report .
Chief tells CNN that deadly force was warranted . Chief : If suspect ended up shooting people , police would be answering different questions . Incident happened February 19 in town near Tucson , Arizona .