Woman with dementia gets $3M after Colorado city settles lawsuit over violent arrest
A Colorado city announced Wednesday that it would pay $3 million to settle a lawsuit with a woman with dementia whose arrest was recorded on video.
The settlement ends the federal civil rights lawsuit filed by Karen Garner in April against Loveland police officers Austin Hopp and Daria Jalali, who arrested Garner in June 2020 and resigned from the Loveland Police Department in April, according to the Coloradoan.
Garner was arrested in June 2020 at a Loveland Walmart after being accused of shoplifting items worth $14 and removing an employee’s face mask during the confrontation, KSHB reported.
Garner, 73 at the time, said she suffered a broken arm and dislocated shoulder during the arrest, and video inside the police department showed Hopp, Jalali, community service officer Tyler Blackett and two other cops laughing about the arrest, according to the station.
“The settlement with Karen Garner will help bring some closure to an unfortunate event in our community but does not upend the work we have left to do. We extend a deep and heartfelt apology to Karen Garner and her family for what they have endured as a result of this arrest,” Loveland City Manager Steve Adams said in a news release. “We know we did not act in a manner that upholds the values, integrity, and policies of the City and police department, and we are taking the necessary steps to make sure these actions are never repeated.”
Although the settlement ends the civil rights lawsuit, the officers still face criminal charges in connection to the arrest.
Hopp is charged with attempt to influence a public servant, assault causing serious bodily injury and official misconduct, the Coloradoan reported. Jalali is charged with failure to intervene as a peace officer, failure to report use of force by a peace officer and official misconduct.
“I was immediately concerned with what I saw,” Larimer County District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin said during a news conference livestreamed on Facebook by Denver7, after reviewing videos related to Garner’s arrest.