Ex-Loveland officer pleads guilty to not intervening in arrest that injured Karen Garner

A former Loveland police officer has pleaded guilty to failing to intervene when another officer forcefully arrested and injured 73-year-old Karen Garner in June 2020.

Daria Jalali, 28, pleaded guilty to the Class 1 misdemeanor during a court hearing Wednesday. Two other misdemeanor charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

According to Colorado state statute, police officers who witness other officers use excessive force are required to report that incident to an immediate supervisor. The legal requirement for officers to intervene in these incidents came out of the police accountability bill, Colorado Senate Bill 217, passed in 2020 in response to nationwide calls for police reform following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Jalali was the second officer to arrive at the scene of Garner's arrest on June 26, 2020. Officer Austin Hopp — who has also since left the department and was criminally charged alongside Jalali — had Garner held against his police car when Jalali arrived, as seen in Hopp's body camera footage. In the video, Jalali appeared to help Hopp restrain Garner against the car, at which point Hopp pushed hard enough to break Garner's shoulder, according to a civil lawsuit filed by Garner's family, which was later settled by the city of Loveland for $3 million. 

Jalali also watched Hopp's body camera footage with Hopp and another officer at the Loveland police station while Garner sat in a holding cell down the hall. In surveillance video from the department showing the officers watching the footage, Hopp can be heard telling the others to get "ready for the pop," referring to the moment he injured Garner's shoulder.

Daria Jalali, a former Loveland Police officer, talks with her attorney Anna Geigle, left, during court Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at the Larimer County Justice Center. Jalali pleaded guilty to failure to intervene in the use of excessive force, a class 1 misdemeanor.
Daria Jalali, a former Loveland Police officer, talks with her attorney Anna Geigle, left, during court Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at the Larimer County Justice Center. Jalali pleaded guilty to failure to intervene in the use of excessive force, a class 1 misdemeanor.

Hopp pleaded guilty in March to second-degree assault, a Class 4 felony, and was sentenced to five years in prison during a hearing in May.

Jalali will face up to five years of probation and could face up to 60 days in jail, Judge Joshua Lehman said during Wednesday's court hearing.

Part of the plea agreement also requires Jalali to agree to not work in law enforcement again, but Lehman said he is only be able to enforce that while Jalali is on probation. Assistant District Attorney Matt Maillaro said part of the plea agreement also requires Jalali to enter into a separate agreement with a federal agency, which will similarly require she not work in law enforcement and will have the authority to enforce that for longer than the district court can.

Jalali's sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 5.

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Sady Swanson covers public safety, criminal justice, Larimer County government and more throughout Northern Colorado. You can send your story ideas to her at sswanson@coloradoan.com or on Twitter at @sadyswan. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Ex-Loveland officer pleads guilty in Karen Garner arrest case