An elderly woman who just weighed 80 pounds had been assaulted by two Loveland Police officers while their chief watched, as a newly released footage showed.
The incident occurred outside a Walmart on June 26, 2020, when 73-year-old Karen Garner took some items from the store worth $13 and left without paying.
Staffers followed her and upon learning that she was a dementia sufferer, they let her go and took back the items.
But then appeared Officer Austin Hopp and asked her to stop, and although she clearly appeared confused, he “violently assaulted her, twisting her arms behind her back, throwing her to the ground and handcuffing her.”
Soon, fellow Officer Daria Jalali showed up and ordered the vulnerable woman to “quit it and stand up, we’re going to hold you.”
A witness could be heard on the footage asking the cops: “Do you have to use that much aggression?” to which Hopps replied: “Get out of here; this is not your business.”
Police Sgt. Phil Metzler joined the scuffle, approved the arrest, and directed the cops that the woman “be denied access to medical care for her injuries afterward.”
He then asked: “Are you guys all good?”
“A little muddy, a little bloody, that’s how it works,” Jalali replied before explaining that in fact, the blood was Garner’s.
A federal lawsuit of “excessive force” has been launched, alleging that Garner who has dementia and troubles understanding sustained a fractured upper arm and dislocated shoulder and was not treated until six hours later.
“LPD takes very seriously the allegations concerning the arrest of resident Karen Garner, and shares with the community the concerns about the video images that became public on Wednesday,” the police department said in a statement.
