The Life & Liberty Law Office/YouTube
May 21, 2021, 7:24 am
The Colorado police officers who made headlines for their violent arrest of a 73-year-old woman with dementia last summer have finally been arrested and charged in relation to the incident.
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Karen Garner accidentally walked out of Walmart without paying for a mere $13 worth of items last June. The employees called her back in and got the items back, but police arrived at the scene not long afterward.
Bodycam footage from former Loveland police officer Austin Hopp showed him slamming a confused Garner to the ground and restraining her as her shoulder audibly popped out of its socket. Another officer, Daria Jalali, aided in the arrest and did nothing to stop the unnecessary force Hopp used against the elderly woman.
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The two were later caught on video watching the bodycam footage and laughing and congratulating one another on the arrest, as Garner sat in a cell asking for help for her injuries and being ignored.
When she was eventually treated, it turned out she had sustained a dislocated shoulder, a broken arm, and a sprained wrist.
The bodycam footage went viral amidst ongoing outrage at police brutality across the country. There was zero argument to be made that Garner posed a threat, and the callousness of the two arresting officers was made clear.
Still, it took almost a full year for Hopp and Jalali to face charges for the incident.
Warrants were issued for their arrests on Wednesday, and by Thursday, both had turned themselves in. Hopp was charged with two felonies—assault and attempt to influence another officer—while Jalali has been charged with misdemeanor failure to report use of force and failure to intervene. Both have also been charged with misdemeanor misconduct.
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“We are relieved that some criminal charges were filed at all, however, we are deeply concerned that they stopped short of charging either of the involved supervising sergeants,” Sarah Schielke, the attorney representing Garner’s family, told The Washington Post.
Shielkie and the Garner family have been advocating for a larger scale investigation into the police department so as to prevent this from ever happening to another family.
The family also alleges that the assault has left Garner traumatized and caused her dementia to progress more rapidly.
“I feel like they think that they’re above the law, and they’re the ones that are supposed to be protecting all of us,” said Garner’s daughter, Allisa Swartz. “I just want justice for my mom.”
*First Published: May 21, 2021, 7:24 am
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