A former Colorado police officer has been sentenced to five years in prison for assaulting a woman with dementia during an arrest in June 2020.
Karen Garner, then 73, suffered a broken arm, sprained wrist and shoulder injury after being taken to the ground by officer Austin Hopp. Body camera footage showed Hopp roughly grabbing Garner, who had been suspected of shoplifting items worth about $14 (£11) from a Walmart in Loveland.
Following the arrest, police officers were captured on video laughing while reviewing footage of the incident, including the audible sound of Garner's shoulder dislocating. No medical attention was provided for several hours despite officers acknowledging possible injury.
Hopp avoided a potential sentence of 10-30 years by pleading guilty. The city of Loveland paid $3m (£2.43m) in compensation. Garner's family says the incident worsened her dementia. A second officer, Daria Jalali, faces charges related to failure to intervene and report excessive force.
In court, Hopp apologised, calling his actions a "terrible mistake". Garner's family protested the plea deal, arguing more officers should have faced charges, including superiors who watched the video and did nothing.
