Colorado city paying $3M to woman with dementia who was pushed to ground during arrest

The Colorado city of Loveland is paying $3 million to a woman with dementia who was pushed to the ground during an arrest last year.

The settlement, announced by Loveland city manager Steve Adams on Wednesday, follows a controversial arrest in 2020 when former officer Austin Hopp pushed 73-year-old Karen Garner to the ground while apprehending her, The Associated Press reported.

“The settlement with Karen Garner will help bring some closure to an unfortunate event in our community but does not upend the work we have left to do,” Adams said.

Police arrested Garner last year after she walked out of a store without paying for almost $14 in groceries. Her shoulder was dislocated during the arrest.

A video was released of the officers laughing at Garner after the arrest.

In a lawsuit, Garner alleged she was denied medical care for hours.

Hopp is facing felony and misdemeanor charges while another former officer, Daria Jalali, is facing misdemeanor charges over the arrest.

Both officers were fired from the police force after the video of them laughing at Garner emerged.

“The amount of this settlement is likely record-breaking for a civil rights case that doesn’t involve death or permanent disfigurement,” Garner’s lawyer, Sarah Schielke, said at a press conference Wednesday after the settlement was announced.

“Not only does its amount send a powerful message, but the speed of which it was obtained as well. Just four months since we filed the lawsuit,” she added.