A Connecticut man has been paralyzed from the chest down and is breathing on a ventilator after a police van that was transporting him to a detention center made an abrupt stop, sending him headfirst into the wall.
Randy Cox had been arrested on gun charges and was placed in the back of the van handcuffed and with no seat belt on. When the van slammed on its brakes, Cox went flying toward the front of the vehicle holding area and smashed his head, according to video of the incident.
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Cox cried out for help, but he was left lying there for the remainder of the roughly 8-minute ride, his representatives said. When officers arrived at the detention center, they dragged him out of the van, placed him in a wheelchair, mocked him for his posture, and took him to his cell, bodycam footage showed.
About 15 minutes later, Cox was transported to the hospital, where he is now paralyzed and may never walk again, his family and attorneys said during a news conference on Tuesday.
“Randy Cox is lying in that hospital bed paralyzed from his chest down because of the actions — and the inactions — of the New Haven Police Department,” said civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
Cox was arrested on June 19 on charges of criminal possession of a firearm, possessing a gun without a permit, and breach of peace, according to police. Officers described him as being “uncooperative” while being detained, and footage showed him on the floor of the van trying to kick open the door in the first few minutes of the drive.
Cox then returned to sit on the bench in the vehicle, which had no seat belts, moments before the van made an abrupt stop, sending him flying into the wall as officers attempted to avoid a traffic collision with another car, officials said.
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Officer Oscar Diaz then stopped the van to check on Cox, who called out that he had been hurt. Diaz got back into the car and continued driving to the detention center, telling Cox he called an ambulance, according to bodycam footage. Department procedure requires officers to stop and wait for medical help if someone they are transporting is injured.
The five officers involved in the incident have all been placed on administrative leave, and the New Haven Police Department is investigating the incident.
