Randy Cox, a 36 year old Black man, arrested for a weapons violation, was left paralyzed from the neck down after police officers failed to properly secure him in a police van. The New Haven Independent has reported extensively on this case, which led to national outrage. It reports:
The 29-page lawsuit, which can be read in full here, accuses New Haven Police Officers Oscar Diaz, Ronald Pressley, Jocelyn Lavandier and Luis Rivera and Sgt. Betsy Segui of violating Cox’s 4th and 14th Amendment constitutional rights for their roles in an incident that led to Cox suffering severe injuries to his neck and spine while in police custody on June 19.
The civil lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for Connecticut, accuses
Officer Diaz of “negligence and carelessness” on the following grounds:
a. In that he applied his brakes in an abrupt and unnecessary manner;
b. In that he failed to maintain a reasonable and proper look out for other vehicles on the roadway;
c. He failed to keep the vehicle under proper control;
d. He was inattentive in the operation of his vehicle;
e. He was operating his vehicle at an excessive rate of speed and in violation of §13 – 218a and §14 – 219 of the Connecticut General Statutes; and
f. He operated his vehicle recklessly and in violation of §14 – 222 of the Connecticut General Statutes.
Meanwhile, the five police officers involved in this incident remain on paid administrative leave as the state’s attorney’s office considers whether or not to arrest and prosecute the officers.
During a Tuesday afternoon press conference at City Hall, Mayor Justin Elicker, Police Chief Karl Jacobson, and Corporation Counsel Patricia King responded to the filing of the federal lawsuit and to Cox’s lawyers’ and family’s press conference earlier in the day.
“We are all committed to doing the right thing,” Elicker said.
He said that the city is open to discussing a settlement for the newly filed civil lawsuit.