Video Shows Cops Joking About Violent Arrest Of 73-Year-Old Woman
By Bill Galluccio
April 28, 2021
Four police officers from Loveland, Colorado, have been placed on administrative leave after video captured them joking about the violent arrest of a 73-year-old woman with dementia.
Karen Garner was arrested last June for allegedly shoplifting $13.88 worth of items from Walmart. Garner was forced to the ground during the arrest and suffered a broken humerus, a dislocated shoulder, and a sprained wrist. Video of the arrest went viral after it was released as part of a federal lawsuit filed against the Loveland Police Department.
On Tuesday (April 27), Garner's lawyers filed an amended lawsuit and released an additional video showing officers joking about her arrest and injuries.
After returning to the station, Austin Hopp told Daria Jalali that he thought the arrest went great.
"Well, I thought it went great," Hopp said. "I think we crushed it."
As they begin to review the body camera footage of the arrest, Jalali said she loves to watch the videos.
"Bodycams are my favorite thing to watch. I could watch livestream bodycams all day," Jalali said.
At one point, he highlights the moment he heard a popping sound when Garner was injured.
"Are you ready for the pop?" Hopp asks.
Despite expressing her love of body cam videos, this one appeared to make Jalali uncomfortable, but Hopp refused to stop.
"I hate this," Jalali said
"This is great," Hopp replied.
"I hate it," Jalali said again.
"I love it," Hopp responds.
Garner's attorney, Sarah Schielke, said that the officers were about ten feet from Garner's cell while watched the video of her arrest. The officers kept her behind bars for over two hours before they took her to the hospital.
"For the 6 hours that Ms. Garner was kept in custody by Loveland and the jail, despite many jokes made about her being disabled and mentally unfit, no one attempted to locate Ms. Garner's caregiver, console or help her, de-escalate her, or alert her loved ones to her terrible situation," the lawsuit said.
Officials said that Hopp and Jalali were placed on administrative leave, along with Sgt. Phil Metzler and Tyler Blackett. They said they are conducting a full investigation into the matter.
"The statements on the videos are very concerning," said District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin. "I will consider those statements -- along with all relevant evidence compiled by the (Critical Incident Response Team) -- in making a charging decision."
You can watch the entire hour-long video below:
Photo: Getty Images