USA: Public outrage after a man becomes paralyzed in a police car
36-year-old Richard Cox is now being resuscitated and forced to eat through a feeding tube, his lawyer said.
Cox was arrested on June 19 for illegal possession of a weapon.
He was handcuffed to New Haven Police Department but unrestrained when the driver made a sudden stop and his head hit the side of the car.
News agencies
30/06/2022
Thursday, 30 June 2022, 13:33 Updated: 13:46
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A black man from New Haven, Connecticut, who was arrested by police, is now paralyzed from the neck down after being forced to sit in the back seat of the detainee car without a seat belt while driving while the car made a sudden stop, and as a result was injured.
36-year-old Richard Cox is now being resuscitated and forced to eat through a feeding tube, his lawyer Jack O'Donnell said.
Cox was arrested on June 19 for illegal possession of a weapon.
He was handcuffed to New Haven Police Department when the officer driving the truck made a sudden stop to prevent an accident with another vehicle.
Cox was thrown forward and because he was not belted, his head hit the side of the truck hard.
The video, which was videotaped, caused a stir among his family and community members who are outraged that Cox was placed in a truck without a seat belt, and that the driver, Officer Oscar Diaz, made such a sudden stop when he was aware that Cox was sitting behind him.
Randy Cox was dragged to the detention cell by police officers (Photo: Screenshot, (New Haven Police Department)
Randy Cox in a police car without a seat belt (Photo: screenshot, SCREENGRAB VIA NEW HAVEN POLICE DEPARTMENT)
"Randy Cox is lying in a hospital paralyzed from the neck down due to the actions of the New Haven Police Department," said human rights lawyer Ben Kramp, who represents the family.
"When I watch the video, I am shocked to the depths of my soul."
The video of the incident was shared by Cox's legal team on Twitter, in which Cox can be seen lying on the ground of the car and kicking the back door while she was driving.
He then sits down before being suddenly thrown towards the back of the police vehicle with his head forward.
He was then heard calling for help.
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In a video from Diaz's body camera, a loud thump is heard as Diaz presses the horn and then stops abruptly.
Diaz can then be heard reporting the injury in the relationship before checking on Cox.
"What happened?"
He asks as he opens the back door.
"Can you move? How did your leg get there? I can not move you, I will have to call an ambulance," he says.
"I can not move," Cox replies.
"I fell. I can not move my arms."
Diaz gets back in the police car and calls an ambulance before continuing to drive down to the police station.
When he arrives, three cops go out to talk to Cox and ask him to get out of the truck.
Cox tells them over and over that he can't move, before Hupp drags him out of the back seat and seats him on the floor.
"You drank too much," one of them tells Cox.
"Sit down nicely."
"I do not feel anything," Cox replies before the cops help him sit in a wheelchair.
The cops continue to scold Cox as he sits unable to move in the chair.
They ask him if he took drugs or drank alcohol, and he denies it.
At one point Cox says his neck is broken.
The police then dragged him on the ground to the holding cell.
"He's fine. Do you want me to put them on him?"
Says one policeman and points to the handcuffs.
The video ends with a cop handcuffing Cox to his ankles before closing the cell door.
According to Diaz's body camera video, it can be seen that he was traveling at excessive speed.
Diaz and another policewoman who was with him, Betsy Segway, as well as the cops who dragged Cox out of the truck were taken on an administrative leave, according to New Haven police.
Toya Boomer, Cox's sister, said after the incident: "I want to know who was the person who saw what happened and said, 'Maybe he's not joking, maybe he's not drunk, maybe he's distressed," she said at a news conference.
"Who would joke about such a thing?"
Assistant New Haven Police Chief Carl Jacobson said the department "will do anything to get Cox justice."
"This is not a moment of pride for the police or for me," he said Tuesday.
"We're all upset about what happened, and I want justice for Randy as well. We'll all work together to make changes."
Connecticut Police Department Public Information Officer Scott Shamway told Weiss News that "Connecticut State Police have taken the lead in the criminal investigation of the incident. It is open to dialogue with the community and to make necessary changes to ensure such incidents do not recur," he said. said.
"We wish Cox a speedy and complete recovery. We will continue to support him and his family."
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