Cop Shows Off Video of Injured 73-Year-Old: 'Ready for the Pop?'

73-year-old with dementia was pushed to the ground, arrested over alleged shoplifting
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 27, 2021 8:07 AM CDT
Cop Shows Off Video of Injured Woman: 'Ready for the Pop?'
This undated photo shows Karen Garner, who is suing Loveland, Colo., and some of its police officers over her arrest in June 2020.   (Allisa Swartz via AP)

A Colorado police officer accused of dislocating the shoulder of a 73-year-old woman with dementia while arresting her seemed to be aware he had injured her, per the AP. He told fellow officers “ready for the pop?” as he showed them his body camera footage, according to police station surveillance video with enhanced audio that was made public Monday by the woman's lawyer. Officer Austin Hopp made the comment while showing the other officers the part of the arrest that shows Karen Garner being held against the hood of a patrol car in Loveland last year, her handcuffed left arm bent up behind her head. The surveillance video captured in the Loveland police station shows two other officers, one male and female, watching the footage with Hopp as he makes the “pop” comment.

The female officer, who helped during the arrest, says “I hate this.” The video then shows her pull her hat over her eyes while another male officer says, “I love it.” At the time, Garner was in a holding cell a few feet away, handcuffed to a bench. The federal lawsuit filed on her behalf earlier this month said she received no medical care for about six hours after she was taken to jail. Hopp arrested Garner in June 2020 after she allegedly left a store without paying for about $14 worth of items. His body camera footage shows Hopp catching up to her as she walks through a field along a road. She shrugs and turns away from him and he quickly grabs her arm and pushes her 80-pound body to the ground. She looks confused and repeatedly says, “I am going home.” (The local DA recently called for a criminal investigation into the case.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X