Three Colorado police officers who were involved in breaking the arm of a 73-year-old woman with dementia during her arrest resigned from their positions Friday.
During a press conference, Loveland Police Chief Bob Ticer said, “Today, I am announcing that former officers Austin Hopp and Daria Jalali, along with former community service officer Tyler Blackett, are no longer employed with the Loveland Police Department.”
Ticer added, “All three of these employees were involved with the arrest and booking of Mrs. [Karen] Garner.”
The announcement comes a day after the three officers were placed on administrative leave. Garner and her lawyer filed a federal lawsuit against the three officers and released body camera footage of the incident, which occurred last June.
According to KDVR-TV in Denver, Garner’s shoulder could be heard popping in the body camera footage of the arrest. She was initially arrested after leaving a Walmart where employees accused her of stealing.
In the body camera footage, Hopp can be heard telling Garner, “Ma’am, I don’t think you want to play it this way” as he appears to approach her after exiting his patrol car.
Hopp then asked Garner, “You just left Walmart, do you need to be arrested right now?” She replied that she was going home. Within a few seconds of her response, Garner is taken to the ground and handcuffed by Hopp, according to the footage.
Garner is then seen being taken out of a patrol car. While she repeatedly says that she is going home, Hopp and another officer take her to the ground again and place restraints on her feet.
According to KDVR, Garner’s attorney, Sarah Schielke, said that Garner suffered a dislocated shoulder and a fractured wrist during the arrest, which prompted her to file the lawsuit against the police department.
On Wednesday, the department announced that the actions by the officers during Garner’s arrest were the subject of a criminal investigation conducted by the Fort Collins Police Services “in cooperation with the 8th Judicial District Attorney.”
In a statement, Larimer County District Attorney Gordon MacLaughlin said, “The statements on the videos are very concerning. I will consider those statements along with all the relevant evidence compiled by the CIRT (Critical Incident Response Team) in making a charging decision.”
He added, “There is no set time frame to finish the investigation as the CIRT protocol must follow the facts and produce a thorough and reliable outcome, but I can assure you this investigation is a priority for my office.”
Newsweek reached out to the Loveland Police Department for further comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
During the Friday press conference, Ticer said, “We have had outpourings of concerns from people in our community, in our state, in the United States and international about their concerns and anger relating to this arrest of Mrs. Garner. Our goal at the Loveland Police Department has always been to make our community proud. We failed and we are very sorry for that.”
