Aggressive police arrest, hog-tie and mock elderly woman with dementia picking wild flowers by roadside
In this video taken by a police bodycam, we see a 73-year-old woman accosted, pushed to the ground and handcuffed. Her offence appears to be picking wild flowers whilst walking. The woman, one Karen Garner, was reportedly suspected of shoplifting from Walmart in Loveland, Colorado. The man behind the bodycam is Loveland Police Officer Austin Hopp. Two other officers then join in.
Karen Garner has dementia and sensory aphasia, an inability to understand speech, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed on her behalf. The lawsuit alleges the nastiness left her with a dislocated shoulder, a fractured humerus bone and a sprained wrist.
Hopp is now on administrative leave.
As for the alleged shoplifting:
Garner wound up wandering out of the store without paying for Pepsi, a candy bar, a T-shirt, and some stain-removing wipes—worth less than $14 altogether.Walmart employees stopped her and took the items back. They then refused her attempt to pay and called the police, according to the lawsuit…
She was taken to jail and charged with theft of less than $50, obstructing a peace officer, and resisting arrest, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald, though the Larimer County District Attorney agreed to dismiss the case in August 2020.
And – yeah – get a load of his hands-free driving.
Posted: 18th, April 2021 | In: News Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
