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Karen Garner, who suffers from dementia, was arrested last June for leaving a Walmart in Loveland, Colo., With $ 13.88 worth of items, according to an amended lawsuit filed Sunday. Police were called and the arrest left Garner with multiple injuries, including a broken humerus, a dislocated shoulder and a sprained wrist, according to the lawsuit.
Loveland is approximately 50 miles north of Denver.
The amended lawsuit names the town of Loveland and five officers as defendants. The initial lawsuit was filed on April 14. CNN has obtained body camera footage of the arrest from the office of Garner’s attorney, Sarah Schielke.
The amended lawsuit also includes a video that shows three officers – Austin Hopp, Daria Jalali and Tyler Blackett, who are named in the lawsuit – laughing as they begin to watch body camera footage of Garner’s arrest, according to Schielke.
The family released a statement Tuesday saying they were devastated because Garner is a “human being” who was treated by Loveland Police as an “animal.”
“We are physically sickened. We are angry. Our hearts could no longer suffer,” the statement read. “Once fiercely independent, happy, carefree and a great lover of the outdoors, she is now fearful, suspicious, recluse.”
Schielke said in a press release that there were “enough investigations. Police have known about this for 10 months and the videos speak for themselves. It’s time to act.”
CNN reached out to the Loveland Police Officers Association for comment on the initial incident as well as the amended complaint and additional video footage from the police station, but received no response on Monday night or Tuesday. It is not known if Hopp has a lawyer and attempts to reach Jalali and Blackett have failed.
Loveland Police spokesperson Tom Hacker released a statement to CNN saying: “All matters relating to the arrest of Loveland resident Karen Garner in June 2020 are under criminal investigation , ordered by the 8th Judicial District Attorney and conducted by the Fort Collins, Colorado Police Department.
Hacker added: “An independent comment from the Loveland Police Department would not be appropriate at this time. LPD has confidence in the due process this investigation allows.”
Officers say body camera footage ‘is like live TV’
Footage of the recently released video was filmed in the Loveland Police Department reservation area shortly after Garner’s arrest last June.
Hopp punches Jalali when asked how the arrest went.
“Well, I thought it went really well,” Hopp said, adding, “I think we crushed him.”
Later in the video, as the police begin to watch, Jalali, who assisted in the arrest, says the body camera images are “like live television”.
Blackett responds by saying, “The bodycam show”, as someone laughs.
“Bodycams are my favorite thing to watch. I could watch live bodycams all day, ”Jalali says.
But as the three continue to watch, it looks like Jalali is uncomfortable with the video.
“Can you stop him now?” she asks.
“What?” Hopp asks.
According to a YouTube transcript of the video, Hopp then asks, “Are you ready to pop?” while Jalali covers his ears.
“Do you hear the pop?” Hopp asks.
Pop refers to something in the video, but we don’t know what that is.
“I hate it,” Jalali said.
“It’s awesome,” Hopp replies.
“I hate it,” Jalali said.
“I love it,” Hopp shot back.
Schielke said the viewing of the video and conversations around it took place while Garner was 10 feet away in a cell. She remained in that cell for two and a half hours, according to the lawsuit, until she was taken to hospital.
“During the 6 hours that Ms. Garner was held by Loveland and the prison, despite many jokes about her disability and mental incapacity, no one attempted to locate Ms. Garner’s caregiver, console her or her. ‘help, to defuse it. , or alert his relatives of his terrible situation, ”indicates the trial.
Hopp was put on administrative leave and Jalali was reassigned.
The district attorney’s office will review the incident
“The statements on the videos are very concerning,” said prosecutor Gordon McLaughlin. “I will take these statements – along with all relevant evidence compiled by (the Critical Incident Response Team) – into consideration in making an impeachment decision.”
McLaughlin says there is no set deadline to complete the investigation, but it is a priority for his office.
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