Colorado Cop Sentenced to 45 Days in Jail for Failing to Intervene in Abusive Arrest of Elderly Woman with Dementia

The former girlfriend of the Colorado cop who abused an elderly woman with dementia was sentenced to 45 days in jail Friday for her role in the incident that would have been swept under the carpet had it not been for the video.

And only because the family of the victim posted the video online after filing a lawsuit nearly a year after the incident where it went viral, leading to the resignation of the two cops from the Loveland Police Department.

Daria Jalali was convicted for failing to intervene in the use of excessive force when her boyfriend, Austin Hopp, abused the woman in an apparent attempt to impress his girlfriend.

Karen Garner, who was 73, ended up suffering from a dislocated shoulder from the incident that took place on June 26, 2020.

Prior to the incident, Garner had walked out of a Walmart with $14 worth of merchandise she had forgotten to pay for but was stopped by store employees. When she offered employees her debit card to pay for the items, they refused to accept payment and sent her on her way, calling police on her.

She was walking down the street when Hopp pulled up behind her. The video shows she appeared confused.

Hopp took that as a sign of disrespect and took her to the ground, handcuffing her. He then pulled her back up and walked her to his car, standing her against his patrol car.

Jalali pulled up to assist in the arrest which was when Hopp jerked her arm behind her back, dislocating her shoulder. The video captures a popping sound, causing Garner to yell out in pain.

Later at the station after he ensured both body cameras were turned off, a security video recorded Hopp bragging to Jalali about the popping sound. They broke up eight months later.

Jalali, 28, apologized to Garner’s family in the courtroom, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald.

She also said that she was under the impression that Garner was under the influence of drugs or alcohol rather than suffering from mental illness. She also claimed that she thought that Garner was only complaining about the handcuffs in order to get out of them.

“I wanted to be a good police officer and my heart was in the right place, but I still came up short,” she said.

Jalali was also sentenced to three years of supervised probation and 250 hours of community service following her release.

Hopp was sentenced to five years in prison in May on charges of second-degree assault.

Watch the video below which shows Loveland Police Sergeant Phil Metzler trying to gaslight and intimidate a witness who had complained about Hopp’s behavior, telling the man that Garner outran Walmart security after attempting to shoplift.

Meltzer, who had arrived on the scene after Garner was placed in the back of the car, also accused the witness of interfering with the arrest for simply observing the arrest.

Later at the station, another cop laughs along with Hopp in rewatching the video while Jalali appears uncomfortable.

“That’s going to turn into something,” she tells Hopp, according to security camera after both their body cameras were turned off. “No doubt with all the cars that stopped. There was more than just that one guy.”

So she knew they had screwed up, then decided to go along with it, despite her claims of ignorance to Garner’s family.

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Colorado Cop Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Violent Assault on Elderly Woman with Dementia

The former girlfriend of the Colorado cop who abused an elderly woman with dementia was sentenced to 45 days in jail Friday for her role in the incident that would have been swept under the carpet had it not been for the video.

And only because the family of the victim posted the video online after filing a lawsuit nearly a year after the incident where it went viral, leading to the resignation of the two cops from the Loveland Police Department.

Daria Jalali was convicted for failing to intervene in the use of excessive force when her boyfriend, Austin Hopp, abused the woman in an apparent attempt to impress his girlfriend.

Karen Garner, who was 73, ended up suffering from a dislocated shoulder from the incident that took place on June 26, 2020.

Prior to the incident, Garner had walked out of a Walmart with $14 worth of merchandise she had forgotten to pay for but was stopped by store employees. When she offered employees her debit card to pay for the items, they refused to accept payment and sent her on her way, calling police on her.

She was walking down the street when Hopp pulled up behind her. The video shows she appeared confused.

Hopp took that as a sign of disrespect and took her to the ground, handcuffing her. He then pulled her back up and walked her to his car, standing her against his patrol car.

Jalali pulled up to assist in the arrest which was when Hopp jerked her arm behind her back, dislocating her shoulder. The video captures a popping sound, causing Garner to yell out in pain.

Later at the station after he ensured both body cameras were turned off, a security video recorded Hopp bragging to Jalali about the popping sound. They broke up eight months later.

Jalali, 28, apologized to Garner’s family in the courtroom, according to the Loveland Reporter-Herald.

She also said that she was under the impression that Garner was under the influence of drugs or alcohol rather than suffering from mental illness. She also claimed that she thought that Garner was only complaining about the handcuffs in order to get out of them.

“I wanted to be a good police officer and my heart was in the right place, but I still came up short,” she said.

Jalali was also sentenced to three years of supervised probation and 250 hours of community service following her release.

Hopp was sentenced to five years in prison in May on charges of second-degree assault.

Watch the video below which shows Loveland Police Sergeant Phil Metzler trying to gaslight and intimidate a witness who had complained about Hopp’s behavior, telling the man that Garner outran Walmart security after attempting to shoplift.

Meltzer, who had arrived on the scene after Garner was placed in the back of the car, also accused the witness of interfering with the arrest for simply observing the arrest.

Later at the station, another cop laughs along with Hopp in rewatching the video while Jalali appears uncomfortable.

“That’s going to turn into something,” she tells Hopp, according to security camera after both their body cameras were turned off. “No doubt with all the cars that stopped. There was more than just that one guy.”

So she knew they had screwed up, then decided to go along with it, despite her claims of ignorance to Garner’s family.

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Colorado Cop Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Violent Assault on Elderly Woman with Dementia

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Carlos Miller
Carlos Millerhttps://pinacnews.com
Editor-in-Chief Carlos Miller spent a decade covering the cop beat for various newspapers in the Southwest before returning to his hometown Miami and launching Photography is Not a Crime aka PINAC News in 2007. He also published a book, The Citizen Journalist's Photography Handbook, which is available on Amazon.

1 COMMENT

  1. Watch the video below which shows Loveland Police Sergeant Phil Metzler trying to gaslight and intimidate a witness who had complained about Hopp’s behavior, telling the man that Garner outran Walmart security after attempting to shoplift.

    and yet this POS has escaped any kind of charges for his crimes!
    intimidating a witness, coercion, tampering with evidence, misconduct! he committed enough crimes to warrant at the very least he loose his law enforcement certification for life!

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