Karen Garner suffers from multiple conditions, including dementia.
June 26, 2020, was a day that 73-year-old Karen Garner's family will never forget. On that day, Karen — who suffers from dementia and sensory aphasia — was brutally pinned down and arrested by police in her hometown of Loveland, Colorado.
Karen reportedly did commit a crime — but it wasn't on purpose. While at Walmart, Karen accidentally left without paying for $14 worth of merchandise. That minor incident led to police officers using enough force to give her a broken arm and a dislocated shoulder. After the incident happened, officers celebrated and rewatched the footage.
While Karen was technically in the wrong, it was an explainable incident that didn't have any cruel intent behind it. At the time that the officers met up with Karen, she was in the midst of picking wildflowers on her way home. She was confused about the interaction with the police and kept stating that she was just on her way home.
During the rewatch, officers were seen laughing at the footage — which, by itself, proves that Karen's incident shouldn't have escalated to that level. That footage was later leaked to the public.
Now Karen and her family are finally getting the justice they deserve. And they're hoping that a similar incident doesn't happen to any other community members in their town.
Karen's family was moved to settle on the lawsuit due to a letter they found that Karen wrote to her children and grandchildren around the time her dementia diagnosis was official, according to CNN. "I feel the world is getting crueler. Don't make it any rougher for yourself by living in the past. Look out the front window. Don't dwell on what's in the rearview mirror," Karen wrote.
Watch the video to hear Karen's family members speak up on her behalf.
June 26, 2020, was a day that 73-year-old Karen Garner's family will never forget. On that day, Karen — who suffers from dementia and sensory aphasia — was brutally pinned down and arrested by police in her hometown of Loveland, Colorado.
Karen reportedly did commit a crime — but it wasn't on purpose. While at Walmart, Karen accidentally left without paying for $14 worth of merchandise. That minor incident led to police officers using enough force to give her a broken arm and a dislocated shoulder. After the incident happened, officers celebrated and rewatched the footage.
During the rewatch, officers were seen laughing at the footage — which, by itself, proves that Karen's incident shouldn't have escalated to that level. That footage was later leaked to the public.
Now Karen and her family are finally getting the justice they deserve. And they're hoping that a similar incident doesn't happen to any other community members in their town.
Karen's family was moved to settle on the lawsuit due to a letter they found that Karen wrote to her children and grandchildren around the time her dementia diagnosis was official, according to CNN. "I feel the world is getting crueler. Don't make it any rougher for yourself by living in the past. Look out the front window. Don't dwell on what's in the rearview mirror," Karen wrote.
Watch the video to hear Karen's family members speak up on her behalf.
