Paralyzed In Paddy Wagon, Randy Cox Sues City, 5 Officers For $100M

NEW HAVEN, CT —Richard "Randy" Cox, the New Haven man paralyzed after being in a police transport, and then violently manhandled by five police officers, all as seen on video, is suing the cops and the city for $100 million.

Being sued are the officers involved, paddy wagon driver Oscar Diaz, and the officers seen on video pushing, pulling and dragging a paralyzed Cox, Betsy Segui, Ronald Pressley, Jocelyn Lavandier and Luis Rivera.

Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, with local attorneys R.J. Weber III and Louis M. Rubano, filed the action in U. S. District Court.

The complaint reads that the cops' actions left Cox with a cervical spine injury/fracture, permanent paralysis below his neck, contusions, abrasions and injuries to his muscles, ligaments, tendons and bones; permanent scarring; chronic and permanent respiratory condition; a compromised immune system; chronic and permanent health conditions related to immobility; permanent atrophy of the muscles; a shortened life expectancy; and associated physical pain and suffering.

The civil action notes that it was the police officers' negligence that has led to great physical and emotional pain, including but not limited to, mental anguish, frustration, and anxiety over the fact that he was and remains injured.

In a news conference Tuesday, Crump said the "city needs to do the right thing."

Referring to the "actions and inaction of the police officers,"Crump said,"We didn't have to file this lawsuit."

"Everybody can see why the city has to step up and do the right thing. Stevie Wonder can see that the city was wrong in this instance. And when you're wrong, you have an obligation to right a wrong. You shouldn't be forced to do that. You should step up of your own will because that's what leadership demands."

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said that the treatment Cox endured "while in the custody of the New Haven Police Department was completely unacceptable and the City of New Haven is deeply committed to doing everything within its power to ensure an incident like this never happens again."

"We are committed to Justice for Randy Cox for the sake of the Cox family, New Haven residents and the integrity of the police department, and once the state completes its investigation, the NHPD will move forward expeditiously with appropriate action for all the officers involved," Elicker said.

Cox, 38, 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 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.

Warning: This video contains disturbing scenes.

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 seen on video, as they processed him on charges, and then dragged his body into a holding cell.

Warning: This video contains disturbing scenes.

An ambulance eventually arrived and Cox was rushed to Yale New Haven Hospital. He is paralyzed from the chest down and was initially on a ventilator and feeding tube.

At the time, then-Acting police Chief Regina Rush-Kittle put Pressley, Lavandier, Rivera, Diaz and Segui on administrative leave while their conduct is under investigation by Connecticut State Police.

That investigation has not yet concluded.

The Justice Department, via U.S. Attorney for Connecticut Vanessa Roberts Avery, announced it's keeping an eye on the probe.

Read the full lawsuit complaint here:

Richard 'Randy' Cox... by Ellyn Santiago

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New NHPD 'initiatives and reforms' in response to Cox case

Sworn in as Police Chief after the Cox incident, Karl Jacobson vowed to, "doing everything in our power to make sure an incident like the one that happened to Mr. Cox never happens again."

New police policies and standard operating procedures were adopted to enhance safety and security protocols for prisoner transportation, detention facility operations, and individuals in need of medical attention; new department-wide trainings on "active bystandership” and de-escalation.

"From day one, we have promised accountability, transparency and swift action, and the police department has enacted a series of initiatives and reforms to do just that," Mayor Elicker said. Those measures include the initial and "immediate" release of video footage of the incident. Then, Elicker said, "putting the officers involved on leave pending the outcome of the state’s investigation."

He noted that the police department is "changing policies and procedures on transporting and rendering medical aide to individuals while they are in police custody, and instituting a series of department-wide trainings on active bystandership and de-escalation, among other measures."

New policies and standard operating procedures (SOP) on prisoner transportation and detention facility operations. Organized in Special Order 22-03 and effective as of July 3rd, these measures compliment NHPD General Order 5.02 and are designed to help ensure the safety of prisoners, officers, and the public when a person is taken into custody and transported. They include:

• Requiring the primary means of transporting prisoners to be in a marked police cruiser.

• Requiring that prisoner conveyance vans can only be used for transportation to court, when a prisoner’s size or other physical conditions preclude the use of a marked patrol vehicle, or for a special event that may result in multiple arrests. The latter two instances also require authorized approval from a supervising officer.

• Requiring all prisoners to be secured in any transport vehicle by proper use of seat belt, and specific documentation and approval requirements in the event that a prisoner is combative or officer safety considerations make doing so impractical.

• Requiring officers to operate any transport vehicle in a manner that is calculated to maintain the safety and security of the prisoner and at a speed not to exceed the posted speed limit.

• Prohibiting officers from the use of cellular telephones, without a hands-free device, while engaging in the transport of a prisoner.

In addition, a comprehensive review of detention facility policies and procedures has been initiated, begun by a new supervising officer, and this will include random body camera audits to support the potential need for enhanced training.

Read more about the Richard "Randy" Cox case from Patch

• 'Disturbing' Videos Emerge After Man Paralyzed In Police Custody: PD
• 3 More Cops On Leave As State Investigates Man Paralyzed In PD Custody
• Civil Rights Lawyer Crump To Represent Man Paralyzed In PD Custody
• Freddie Gray Invoked By Lawyer For Man Paralyzed In Cop Transport Van
• After Alders Unanimous OK, Jacobson Sworn In As New Haven's Top Cop
• Tamika Mallory Joins Friday March For Justice For Richard "Randy" Cox
• Justice Department Keeping Eye On Randy Cox Case, Says US Attorney