Not comparing this situation to a sport in any way tboy, please reread the post. Stating the usage of the term "hit", does not need to mean "punch". As in the usage I hit the tree with my car, actually does not mean my car punched the tree. Also, not comparing the situation to reckless driving.
I guess when the cop is running at her and she is walking away and he is within arm's reach he can't just grab her? Agreed, she is leaving the scene of an investigation, but he has caught up to her and she is not pulling away. But I am sure you will extrapolate this statement into something extreme, don't let me down.
Using your sports analogy: it's easy being an armchair quar****ack. Sure, he could have winged her, he could have tazed her, he could have grabbed her and wrestled her to the ground. All of which you'd all be sitting here poo pooing that all those alternatives were excessive. I tell you one thing: she wasn't a small petite frail little tidbit. I bet I'd have a hard time getting her to the ground........
When a cop takes down a fleeing suspect, someone is going to get hurt. It sure won't be the cop.......
Something everyone who criticizes the cops forget: they have to make snap decisions. In this case, the cop probably thought she would run and that a person of that size, she wouldn't flop around like a rag doll when "hit".