LOVELAND, Colorado — A 73-year-old woman living with dementia suffered serious injuries, including a broken arm and dislocated shoulder, after Loveland police officers tackled her for allegedly shoplifting a small amount of merchandise from Walmart in June 2020.

Karen Garner had left the store with $13.88 worth of items without paying. After Walmart employees recovered the merchandise, Garner began walking home across a nearby field carrying a small bouquet of wildflowers. Two officers stopped her as she repeatedly told them, “I am going home.”

Body camera footage later released showed officers forcing Garner to the ground, handcuffing her, and restraining her aggressively despite her age and confused state. She was then transported to the Loveland Police Department, where she was held in a jail cell for hours without immediate medical attention for her injuries.

According to the footage, officers at the station replayed the arrest video and were heard laughing about the incident, with one officer commenting on the sound of her shoulder being dislocated.

The case drew widespread national outrage after the bodycam video became public.

Officer Austin Hopp was later sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the arrest. Another officer received a 45-day jail sentence. The City of Loveland reached a $3 million civil settlement with Garner’s family. The city’s police chief eventually stepped down amid the controversy.

Karen Garner passed away in November 2023 at the age of 76. Her family said the incident had a profound and lasting negative impact on her mental and physical health, transforming her from an independent and joyful woman into someone fearful and withdrawn in her final years.

The case remains one of the most widely cited examples of excessive force involving vulnerable individuals during the heightened scrutiny of police practices in 2020.