Colorado Woman With Dementia Sues Police Over Rough Arrest
Police officers make their way to a memorial service for slain Boulder Police Officer Eric Talley at Flatirons Community Church on March 30, 2021 in Lafayette, Colorado. Chet Strange/Getty Images

A police officer in Colorado was placed under investigation for the forceful arrest of an elderly woman with dementia.

The cop arrested the 73-year-old woman for walking out of a well-known store without paying for some items last June, according to New York Post.

Authorities identified the woman with dementia as Karen Garner. The announcement of investigations against the cop was announced on Monday following Garner's filing of a federal lawsuit last week to challenge her arrest, ABC News reported.

Colorado Cop Under Investigation

The lawsuit, filed last Wednesday, alleged that police officer Austin Hopp of the Loveland Police Department forced Garner to the ground after trying to leave Walmart without paying for a soda, a candy bar, a T-shirt, and wipes worth around $14.

The lawsuit also claimed that Garner suffered a dislocated shoulder and fractured arm along with bruises and scrapes, The Gazette reported.

The lawsuit also highlighted that Garner has dementia and sensory aphasia. It further noted that the officers did not put in custody report that Garner had any injuries or illness as the cops take her to the county jail of Larimer.

The lawsuit was filed by Attorney Sarah Schielke of the Life and Liberty Law Office on behalf of Garner against officers Hopp and Daria Jalali, the city of Loveland, and Sgt. Philip Metzler as the supervising officer.

"A full investigation of the event and all parties involved will be conducted by an independent, third party," the City of Loveland said in a press release.

The statement emphasized that this is to determine whether the police officers were within policy or not to implement corrective actions.

District Attorney (DA) Gordon McLaughlin's Office noted that the "robust, unbiased, and transparent procedures" will give way to any "potential criminal behavior" while giving community trust based on their findings.

"We understand the strong emotions evoked including the outrage, fear, and distrust," said the City of Loveland, adding that they are taking note of every concern and question raised by the issue.

Following the lawsuit filed by Garner, authorities announced that Hopp was placed under administrative leave while the two other officers involved in the encounter were taken out from the field and reassigned to administrative work.

Colorado Woman With Dementia Arrested

Walmart employees called authorities for help as Garner tried to walk out of the store without paying. New York Post noted that the Colorado woman returned the items upon the request of the worker. However, she was confronted by the officers while walking home and picking wildflowers.

A body camera footage showed that Hopp tackled the Colorado woman, while Jalali helped Hopp subdue Garner and held her against a police car.

The City of Loveland noted that the footage was difficult to watch. The footage also showed Garner exclaiming "I'm going home" to the cops repeatedly.

Meanwhile, the charges against Garner were dismissed after prosecutors noted that the Colorado woman with dementia "appears to be incapable of understanding her surrounding or her action."

WATCH: Colorado Woman With Dementia Sues Police Over Arrest - From Associated Press