Colorado police officers resign after video shows them laughing at arrest of 73-year-old woman with dementia
Karen Garner's lawsuit says she suffered a dislocated shoulder during arrest
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Three police officers involved in the arrest of a 73-year-old woman with dementia last year in Loveland, Colorado, have resigned after the woman's attorney released a video of the officers laughing about the arrest inside the police station.
"Our goal at the Loveland Police Department has always been to make our community proud," Loveland Police Chief Robert Ticer said at a news conference Friday. "We failed and we are very sorry for that."
Loveland Police Officers Austin Hopp, Daria Jalali and Community Services Officer Tyler Blackett resigned from their positions as a result of the arrest.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Police originally apprehended Karen Garner in June 2020 after she allegedly left a Walmart without paying for a few items. Hopp caught up to her in a field and pushed her to the ground after she turned away from him.
Garner filed a lawsuit this month that says she suffered a dislocated shoulder as a result of the arrest and did not receive medical attention for six hours after she was taken to the police station.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Her attorney, Sarah Schielke, released a video from inside the police station that shows the officers laughing about the arrest while rewatching the bodycam footage.
Hopp was apparently aware he injured her, asking the other officers, "Ready for the pop?"
"I was pushing, pushing, pushing. I hear — pop. I was like, ‘Oh no,’" Hopp can be heard saying.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jalali put her head in her hands and said, "I hate this." Another male officer responded, "I love it."
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Schielke, the attorney for Garner, called the officers' actions during the arrest and afterward "utterly disgusting."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Loveland knew. They’ve known all along," Schielke said after she released the video. "They failed Karen Garner. They failed the community. And they did it all on camera. Do you realize how horrifying that is? That means they were used to getting away with it."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.