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April 20th, 2021 
Awake Goy 
In response to a recently filed
federal civil rights lawsuit accusing a Colorado police officer of breaking an
elderly woman’s arm after placing her in handcuffs, police officials have placed
the officer on leave. Two other officers involved in the arrest were reassigned
to administrative duties.
On June 26, 2020, a Walmart
surveillance camera recorded Karen Garner, 73, attempting to leave the store
without paying $13.88 worth of food and cleaning products. In the video,
Walmart employees stopped Garner and before retrieving the unpaid items from
her.
On Friday, a Walmart spokesperson
issued the following statement:
“We stopped Ms. Garner after noticing her attempt to take merchandise from the
store without paying for it. When we addressed this issue directly with her the
situation escalated when she forcibly removed an associate’s facemask and fled
the store. The police were called only after Ms. Garner became physical with an
associate.”
Later recorded on Loveland Police
Officer Austin Hopp’s body cam video, Garner was walking towards her home when
the officer confronted her. Officer Hopp stated, “Alright let’s stop, ma’am. I
don’t think you want to play it this way. Ma’am, police. Stop.”
Suffering from dementia
and sensory aphasia, Garner kept repeating throughout the video, “I’m going
home.”
Despite the fact that Garner was
unarmed, her hands were cuffed behind her back, and she was physically unable
to overpower Officers Austin Hopp and Daria Jalali while shoved against the hood
of a patrol car, Hopp was recorded on police body cam footage dislocating her shoulder,
fracturing her humerus, and spraining her wrist. The charges against Garner
were later dropped.
“Community members are concerned
about this. We are concerned about this, too. That is why we are taking swift
actions, we placed those officers on leave status,” said Loveland Police Chief
Robert Ticer. “I have to look at that as something very serious.”
Chief Ticer added, “Anytime there’s
a complaint against law enforcement, there’s always a real possibility of trust
— losing public trust.”
On Thursday, the District
Attorney’s Office issued the following statement: “Our office is committed to
fair and professional reviews of alleged excessive use of force. After further
review, the District Attorney’s Office will consider whether an independent
criminal investigation is warranted.”
After reviewing the body cam
footage and federal lawsuit, Loveland Police recently announced that Hopp has
been placed on administrative leave. Two other officers involved in the arrest,
Sgt. Phil Metzler and Officer Daria Jalali, were reassigned to administrative
duties.
“The investigation of the event
will include an examination of the actions of all officers who may have been
involved,” a police statement said.
No officers currently face criminal
charges for breaking Garner’s arm while she was already in custody.
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