"I don't think the passenger leaning out of the window wailing gaily was suggesting it was an accident.
And they don't tend to show the fired cops on COPS"
Then that's not a related incident. In this case the officer would be justified if the driver had attempted to run him over. Not so in the current case.
In this case, we have a kid refusing a command and attempting to flee. This cop was in no danger from this fleeing teenager.
You see the difference right?
To serve and PROTECT. The officer may not have been, but it was stated that it seemed like the kid was reaching for a gun AND he drove into a building complex, and near exposed supports. He was acting (as far as we can tell) to protect not himself, but others.
Generically, the officer is also under an obligation if the lives of others are in danger. Zooming a car down a pedestrian walkway during a school dance seems very endangering.