All charges dropped against Randy Cox, a Black man paralyzed and mocked by police during his arrest

Police footage showed New Haven police Officer Oscar Diaz, who drove the police van, braking abruptly, honking the van’s horn, and gesturing to another driver. “Help,” Cox yelled in the video.

“As a person that saw what happened to Randy Cox after he was in custody, and the fact that he may be paralyzed for life, I think dropping the charges was the right decision,” New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said in a statement Daily Kos obtained.

Attorney Ben Crump, who is on Cox’s legal team, wrote in a statement on Wednesday that anyone who watched that video and saw body-camera footage of how officers handled Cox after his injuries “can discern that these officers had preconceived notions about Randy and his character.”

“The officers did not believe Randy when he said he couldn’t move after being thrown against the wall of a van, and accused him of drinking too much,” Crump said. “The New Haven Police Department handled this incident horrifically from start to finish, and now they must answer for their conduct.”

“The decision to drop the charges against Randy was absolutely the right one, considering how gravely he was injured while in police custody and how obviously these officers had biases against him.”

Acting New Haven Police Chief Regina Rush-Kittle said during a news conference in June that Diaz conducted an “evasive maneuver” to prevent a crash and asked Cox if he was alright. Then he continued on an about three-and-a-half minute trip without checking on the handcuffed man to ensure he was okay. Cox repeatedly told officers he couldn’t move, yet they kept him in the van until he arrived at a detention center about 10 minutes after officers detained him.

“Instead of offering immediate medical aid, officers dragged him off the van & threw him into a wheelchair that may have exacerbated his life-threatening injuries,” Crump said in an earlier statement.

Officers also mocked the position Cox was in due to his injuries, saying he “drank too much” and repeatedly telling him to “sit up” before throwing him in a cell.

Warning: This video contains violent footage that may be disturbing to viewers.

Five officers were put on administrative leave in the incident, and those same officers were also named in a federal lawsuit, in which attorneys said they are seeking $100 million in damages for Cox. Along with the city of New Haven, officers Diaz, Betsy Segui, Ronald Pressley, Jocelyn Lavandier and Luis Rivera were accused in the suit of negligence, recklessness and excessive force.

The officers were also accused of denying Cox medical treatment, with Diaz said to have caused the injuries. “The injuries and damages to the plaintiff were caused by the negligence and carelessness of the defendant Diaz,” attorneys wrote in the suit. Cox suffered cervical spine injuries, permanent paralysis below his neck, contusions and abrasions to his muscles, ligaments, tendons, and bones, a spinal cord injury, and other permanent injuries, according to the suit.

Activists and journalists covering what happened to Cox have compared the case to the deadly arrest of Freddie Gray on April 19, 2015, in Baltimore, Maryland. Officers chased Gray, threatened him with a Taser, and ultimately handcuffed him and put him in a police wagon wearing a leg lace, which is a locking technique.

“Medical experts have agreed that sometime during the approximately 25 minutes that followed, while Gray rode in the rear of the police wagon, he sustained a fatal neck and spinal injury in a manner that is largely unknown,” the Justice Department reported.

Mayor Elicker and Police Chief Scott Shumway said in a joint statement in September the New Haven Police Department (NHPD) enacted new policies and standard operating procedures regarding those in custody who might need medical attention. The city officials claimed all officers have been trained according to those changes.

“The incident and the mistreatment of Mr. Cox were completely unacceptable,” Elicker and Shumway said, “and we are deeply committed to these initiatives and reforms and to making the necessary changes within the NHPD to ensure an incident like this does not happen.”

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