Four Colorado law enforcement officers are on administrative leave following the arrest of a 73-year-old woman, which left her with a broken arm, separated shoulder, and a sprained wrist, according to her attorney.
Loveland Police Department Officer Daria Jalali, Sgt. Phil Metzler, and community service Officer Tyler Blackett were placed on leave over the June 26, 2020, arrest of Karen Garner, who has dementia, according to the city manager.
A day before, Garner’s attorney Sarah Schielke released video from the jail where Garner was processed appearing to show arresting officer Austin Hopp laughing and allegedly asking other deputies whether they heard Garner’s shoulder “pop” as they reviewed body camera footage of her arrest.
Hopp and Jalali arrested Garner as she walked along a road after she was accused of stealing about $14 worth of merchandise from Walmart.
Garner filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the department on April 14, after which Hopp was placed on administrative leave for his role in the arrest. Jalali, who assisted in Garner’s arrest and who appeared in the police station footage, was assigned to desk duty.
Following revelations from the footage released Monday, which Schielke said was enhanced by a sound engineer hired by Garner’s family, Garner filed an amended complaint in court, adding Blackett and Sgt. Antolina Hill.
The two officers “were both aware of Ms. Garner’s injuries and need for medical treatment and personally complicit in the continued denial of that critical care,” the amended complaint alleged.
Garner waited over six hours without medical treatment for her injuries, according to a press release Monday from Schielke.
Hill is not one of the four officers on leave, 9News reported.
“All matters related to the arrest of Loveland resident Karen Garner in June 2020 are subject to a criminal investigation,” a Loveland Police Department spokesperson told the Washington Examiner on Monday. “Loveland Police Chief Bob Ticer strongly advocated for the criminal investigation.”
The spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Investigators from that office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation will investigate Garner’s arrest, the office of District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin announced April 19.
