3 More Cops On Leave As State Investigates Man Paralyzed In PD Custody

NEW HAVEN, CT — Three more police officers have been placed on paid leave as Connecticut State Police investigate the incident that left a New Haven man in police custody paralyzed.

Acting Chief Regina Rush-Kittle said officer Ronald Pressley, officer Jocelyn Lavandier, and officer Luis Rivera, all working at the jail Sunday, join officers Oscar Diaz and Betsy Segui pulled from duty while their conduct is under investigation.

Pressley has been on the job for 22 years, Lavandier since 2014 and Rivera since 2016.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat this," New Haven police Assistant Chief Karl Jacobson said. "It looks disturbing. It is. There are things we should have done better. Mistakes were made."

Richard Cox, 36, was arrested Sunday while at a block party for allegedly carrying a weapon and other charges. While handcuffed in a police van en route to the New Haven police department's detention center, he suffered a serious head injury when Diaz, driving at around 36 MPH in a 25 MPH zone, stopped short to avoid a crash, which sent Cox flying. The van does not have seatbelts.

A series of "disturbing" and graphic videos from police body-worn cameras, and other video footage that show that police officers ignored Cox's cries that he believed his neck was broken, paralyzing him. Police processed him for charges, and then dragged his body into a holding cell.

“After careful consideration of the video footage I saw, I have made the determination that all of the officers involved in the transport and handling of Mr. Cox when he arrived at our detention facility should be placed on administrative leave for potential breaches of police protocol," the acting chief said.

"The handling of Mr. Cox was unacceptable; it does not reflect the high standards we hold ourselves to at the New Haven Police Department," she said. "The department remains committed to doing everything in our power to make sure an incident of this nature never happens again.”

As Patch reported Tuesday, Diaz eventually stopped the van and looked in on Cox. Cox told him he could not move. Diaz called for an ambulance, but not to the scene, rather to go to the detention center.

When the wagon arrives at the detention facility for Cox to be processed, he is lying limp in the vehicle, according to the video. Diaz had called for an ambulance, police said, but not to arrive at the scene of the near-crash, but rather at police headquarters, which is a several minutes drive away.

The officers waiting for the van in the sally port assemble to get Cox out of the van, the video shows. Diaz says he thinks Cox may be hurt. And Cox can be heard, softly asking for help.

"Help me. I don't want to die like this."

But according to the video, instead of helping, Segui barks orders at the man who is not moving. She shouts: "Sit up! You're not even trying! Turn your body. Sit up, stretch out! Come on, or we're gonna pull you out. You drank too much! Sit up!"

He cannot.

Officers drag Cox out of the van and try to hold him up, but he falls to the ground and then they put him in a wheelchair so he can be processed for the charges he faces. In the chair, he slides down to the floor: "I think my neck is broken," he can be heard telling cops.

After being booked, he's dragged to a cell by two officers and left on the ground with ankle cuffs placed on him, the video shows. Segui can be heard saying, "See? He's perfectly fine."

The following video is graphic and may be disturbing for readers.

“The way in which Mr. Cox was treated, transported and handled by the officers involved in this incident at the police detention center was completely unacceptable," New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said.

"Anyone that comes into custody of the New Haven Police Department should be treated with dignity and respect and cared for in a manner than ensures their safety and well-being. In my judgement, the actions of the officers involved in this incident fell far short of that and I strongly support Acting Chief Rush-Kittle’s decision to put all the officers involved on administrative leave while the Connecticut State Police continues its investigation.”