Justice Department Keeping Eye On Randy Cox Case, Says US Attorney

NEW HAVEN, CT — The Justice Department is keeping its eye on the Richard "Randy" Cox investigation, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Avery said.

"If federal action is warranted, the Justice Department will pursue every available avenue to the full extent of the law," Avery wrote.

Read her full at the end of this story.

Cox, 36, of New Haven, was arrested June 19 at a Juneteenth block party for allegedly carrying a weapon and other charges. While handcuffed in a seatbeltless police van en route to the police department's detention center, he suffered a serious head injury that resulted in a broken neck. Officer Oscar Diaz, driving at around 36 MPH in a 25 MPH zone, stopped short to avoid a crash, which sent Cox flying, slamming head first into the van wall.

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

An ambulance eventually arrived and Cox was rushed to Yale New Haven Hospital. He's paralyzed from the chest down, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump said, and is on a ventilator and feeding tube.

At the time, then-Acting police Chief Regina Rush-Kittle last week 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 by Connecticut State Police.

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

When the police van arrives at the detention facility for Cox to be processed, he is lying limp in the vehicle, video shows. Police said that Diaz had called for an ambulance, but not to arrive at the scene of the near-crash, but rather at police headquarters, which is a several minute 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!"

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 wheelchair, he slides down to the floor: "I think my neck is broken," he can be heard telling cops. They pull trying to move him back into the chair, ignoring his pleas. On the floor, 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."

Warning: The video contains graphic images that may be disturbing for readers.

U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery statement:

“My office is closely monitoring the ongoing investigations into the circumstances that have left Mr. Randy Cox paralyzed and hospitalized after being taken into custody by the New Haven Police Department on June 19. My prayers are with him and his family. All suspects taken into police custody must be afforded timely and appropriate medical care in the event of an emergency. Mayor Elicker and Chief Jacobson have acted expeditiously and reported publicly on some actions already taken at the local level in response to this incident, including the suspension of several officers involved pending further investigation, and they have stated a commitment to reform NHPD practices. The Connecticut State Police are investigating the matter, and we will continue to coordinate with them and our other law enforcement partners at the state and federal levels. If federal action is warranted, the Justice Department will pursue every available avenue to the full extent of the law.”

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