Colorado Senior Citizen With Dementia Awarded $3 Million Over Injuries Suffered During Arrest

NEW YORK (VINnews) — A 73-year-old woman with dementia has won a $3 million  settlement after she was roughly arrested by police last year when she stole $14 worth of items from a local store.

Karen Garner had left the store in Loveland, Colorado without paying, possibly due to her dementia. Officer Austin Hopp arrested her and pushed her to the ground after she turned away from him. A federal lawsuit filed by Garner claimed that he dislocated her shoulder by shoving her handcuffed left arm forward onto the hood of a patrol car.

City Manager Steve Adams apologized to Garner and her family at the announcement of the proposed settlement, which was confirmed by Garner’s lawyer, Sarah Schielke. Schielke had uploaded a 14-minute video of the arrest on YouTube, accusing Hopp of dislocating Garner’s shoulder and fracturing her arm during the arrest.

“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,” Adams said.

“We extend a deep and heartfelt apology to Karen Garner and her family for what they have endured as a result of this arrest.”

“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,” he added.

Hopp has been charged with second-degree assault in the arrest, which was caught on his body camera. At a court hearing last month to weigh the evidence against him, his lawyer, Jonathan Datz, argued that Hopp’s supervisors determined his actions to be acceptable, the Loveland Reporter-Herald reported.

However footage from the camera shows that when Garner turned and said she wanted to go home, Hopp moved her left arm which was already behind her back up near her head, saying: “Are you finished? Are you finished? We don’t play this game.” Moreover Hopp did not mention Garner’s shoulder injury in his initial report, stating that he had asked Garner several times if she wanted medical attention and did not receive an answer.

Hopp is no longer employed by the police and three other local officers were also forced to resign after they were pictured laughing and joking while watching a video of the arrest.