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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsLoveland attorney alleges in federal lawsuit that Loveland Police forcibly arrested 73-year old...
She had initially left without paying for $14 worth of goods. Returned to store and tried to pay w/credit card.
Arrest happened anyway
Karen Garner weighs 80 pounds
Is five feet tall.
She suffered dislocated shoulder, broken bone and sprained wrist during arrest, according to lawsuit
She repeatedly tried to tell officer, "I'm going home"
She was two blocks away from home
Link to tweet
Ocelot II
(115,869 posts)A tiny elderly woman with dementia, ffs. Anyone could tell that she didn't understand what was going on and that she wasn't a threat to anybody. It's true that the police are especially inclined to abuse Black people, but it's evident that a lot of them will use excessive force without hesitation on anyone who doesn't immediately cooperate with them, even if it's obvious that the person is impaired in some way.
demmiblue
(36,898 posts)There is someone with mental health issues near me who has had the cops called on him several times. It was a relief to hear from one of his neighbors that they now only send EMS. I don't know much about the situation, but I got the vibe that he isn't very compliant with his medical regimen.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)They go from zero to 80 instantly, even when just taking a few seconds would have both kept them safe and kept citizens safe.
sop
(10,265 posts)One could understand if a bank is being held up, or some lunatic is shooting up a school, and they refuse to comply with police commands to put down their weapons. But, some elderly woman who tried to leave a Walmart without paying for $14 worth of stuff, then returned it and is just walking home?
Why escalate to that level of force if she doesn't comply? Why escalate at all? If it's so important, just follow the woman home and have someone send her a summons through the mail. Better yet, give her a ride home; that's what "to protect and serve" on the side of the cop car means.
I don't understand why every single act of non-compliance needs to escalate to violence. Are cops' authoritarian impulses so uncontrollable they can't see the absurdity of wrestling a 73-year-old woman to the ground and sending her to the hospital for $14?
uponit7771
(90,364 posts)uponit7771
(90,364 posts)demmiblue
(36,898 posts)A lawsuit claims Karen Garner suffered a dislocated shoulder, a broken humerus and a sprained wrist during the arrest June 2020 arrest.
LOVELAND, Colo. Loveland Police said Thursday the department just learned about an alleged incident of excessive force involving a 73-year-old woman with dementia that happened nearly a year ago when body camera footage of the incident was posted on its Facebook page.
A Loveland attorney filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Karen Garner, the woman in the video. The lawsuit alleges that she was injured after being forced to the ground by a Loveland Police officer.
Her crime? The lawsuit suggests she attempted to leave a Walmart with less than $14 worth of items she forgot to purchase.
The lawsuit says Garner suffered a dislocated shoulder, a broken humerus and a sprained wrist during the arrest.
https://www.9news.com/article/news/investigations/federal-civil-rights-lawsuit-filed-after-loveland-woman-73-forced-to-ground-by-police/73-c7818da9-8eeb-4e93-8648-8630942dce74
fifthoffive
(382 posts)Mariana
(14,861 posts)It sounds to me like he's getting sexually aroused by inflicting pain on this woman.
shanti
(21,675 posts)He's a scumbag, as is his partner.
sop
(10,265 posts)We have allowed law enforcement to run amok in this country, resulting a vast police state where force is the preferred response to every situation, and cops employ violence to punish anyone who disobeys.
It's obvious this officer wanted to punish and inflict pain, twisting the woman's arm till he dislocated her shoulder, then taking her roughly to the ground when she "resisted." He never evaluated her obviously-impaired mental state, he immediately escalated and used force.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)her obviously impaired mental state. Just from watching his body cam video, even I could tell that the woman was not all there. He seems like one of the adrenaline junkies that too many police departments seem to like hiring.
Arazi
(6,829 posts)Monsters
DVRacer
(707 posts)Imagine someone doing that to your mother or grandmother.
dalton99a
(81,599 posts)Blue_true
(31,261 posts)person that could do nothing else but say one phrase over and over. A situation like that is EXACTLY why money should be diverted toward cops that have training in psychology and can handle such situations better.
lpbk2713
(42,766 posts)Elderly bodies don't always heal up real well.
I hope she gets good legal representation.
Arazi
(6,829 posts)Ilsa
(61,698 posts)be discharged to a nursing home or memory care home permanently. If her family is caring for her, it has suddenly become too difficult to manage unless you know what you're doing.
MustLoveBeagles
(11,636 posts)What the hell is wrong with those cops?