Three Colorado police officers are no longer employed with the Loveland Police Department after video released appeared to show them laughing at the violent arrest of an elderly woman with dementia last summer.
Loveland Police Chief Bob Ticer announced Friday that officer Austin Hop, officer Daria Jalal and community service officer Tyler Blackett are no longer associated with the department after their involvement in the “arrest or booking” of 73-year-old Karen Garner.
A video released earlier this week showed officers laughing and praising each other for Garner’s arrest during which the elderly woman was thrown to the ground. The altercation between Garner and police resulted in her shoulder dislocation.
In June of 2020, Walmart employees called the police after Garner tried to leave the store without paying for about $14 worth of groceries. Garner claimed that she offered to pay when called back inside, but the employees allegedly refused and took the groceries.
She was then stopped on the side of the road picking flowers when the arrest took place.
Ticer did not detail whether the officers were fired or if they each resigned, according to a local NBC affiliate station.
“We failed and we are very sorry for that,” Ticer said. “What you saw on the video was not the Loveland Police Department. It hurt to see that.”
Four employees were put on administrative leave from the police force earlier this week after body camera footage from Garner’s arrest was made public. Hop, Jalal and Blackett were included in that disciplinary action as well as Sgt. Phil Metzler, who remains on leave.
According to Ticer, an investigation into the incident is ongoing.