SAM HANANEL, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court says three deputy U.S. marshals who shot and wounded a fleeing teenage driver eight years ago cannot be sued for excessive use of force.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled Friday that the marshals did not violate the law because 16-year-old Michael Fenwick was driving in a way that endangered their lives and threatened other pedestrians.

The case in Washington, D.C., unfolded amid a national debate over police use of force after police killings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York City.

The 2007 shooting occurred when marshals approached Fenwick at an apartment complex where they suspected him of driving a stolen a car. Fenwick was shot after clipping a deputy with his car’s side view mirror.