The officer then backed his cruiser into Kenney's Toyota, pushing it off the road and preventing Kenney from driving off a second time. McKay used a "small amount of force, not excessive" to move the car, Strelzin said. The officer got out of his cruiser, walked up to the driver side of Kenney's car and pepper-sprayed both Kenney and Macauley.
Nothing at all can justify the punks actions however the LEO didn't exactly make an attempt to diffuse the situation.
Why should he have to? Citizens are legally obliged to stop for a law officer. They are not allowed to speed away from one. Or should hothead 24 year olds be given extra special handling just because they have a personal gripe?
In retrospect, since the cop knew this kid and also knew where he lived, he could have let the kid speed on and sent another cop to stop him elsewhere down the road. But if he hit a tree or another driver in the interim, what would have happened to the officer?
Second guessing is easy enough after the tragedy, but it seems as if all the screw-ups were committed by the perp. He sped, he fled, he shot, he got shot.