A Black man arrested on gun possession charges ended up paralyzed and is now fighting for his life in New Haven, Connecticut, civil rights attorney Ben Crump said on Monday after publicly releasing disturbing footage of Randy Cox’s head slamming against the inside of a police van. Cox wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.
“Help,” he yelled in body camera footage. Officer Oscar Diaz was driving the police van, officials said.
RELATED STORY: Freddie Gray only the latest victim of Baltimore's 'rough rides' in police vans
The video shows Diaz braking abruptly, honking the van's horn, and gesturing to another driver. “A car went right in front of us, and we almost got hit,” the officer said in response.
Acting New Haven Police Chief Regina Rush-Kittle said during a news conference on Tuesday that Diaz conducted an "evasive maneuver" to prevent a collision and asked if Cox was alright before continuing to drive some three-and-a-half minutes without checking on him, according to The Washington Post’s count.
When the officer did check on Cox, Cox said he couldn’t move his arms. Diaz told the injured man that he had called an ambulance, and the officer continued driving to a detention center.
Cox wasn't removed from the van until the vehicle arrived at the detention center, less than 10 minutes after officers apprehended him in the city, The Washington Post reported.
“I can’t move,” Cox said repeatedly.
Crump, who’s representing Cox, said in a Twitter thread that officers dismissed the 36-year-old’s pleas. "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," the attorney said. Officers also mocked Cox’s posture and threw him into a cell, the Post reported.
“Now, Randy Cox continues to fight for his future,” Crump tweeted. “He’s paralyzed from the chest down and has to use a breathing tube – his quality of life is forever diminished.”
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said during the same news conference the police chief spoke at that what happened to Cox “falls short of the high standards” the city holds itself to and it “will not be tolerated.”
"As I said before, it is of utmost importance that no matter what any one has done or is suspected of doing, that they be treated with respect and care when they're in the hands of New Haven police," Elicker said. "And in my view that was not done."
Warning: This video contains violent footage that may be disturbing to viewers.
Elicker said in response to the incident that the police department has launched an internal affairs investigation and put all five officers involved on administrative leave. The mayor also said the city released all police video of the arrest within 48 hours and took offline all police vehicles without seatbelts, adding a requirement that detainees have their seatbelts fastened during transport.
The state is leading an investigation into the arrest, and Elicker said the New Haven Police Department is cooperating fully.
The mayor said during the news conference that he “did not see malice on the part of the officers,” but “some bad decisions” and an “extreme lack of compassion.”
Campaign ActionJournalists have compared what happened to Cox to the deadly arrest of Freddie Gray on April 19, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. Gray was arrested when officers chased him, threatened him with a Taser, and ultimately handcuffed him and put him in a police wagon. They had found an illegal switchblade on him, the U.S. Department of Justice reported in a factual summary tied to its investigation.
In the process of arresting him, Officer Garrett Miller put Gray in a leg lace, which is a locking technique, Justice Department officials reported. Police alleged Gray was flailing his legs.
“Video evidence shows that a small crowd of civilians gathered near the wagon and angrily protested Gray’s arrest,” the Justice Department said in the summary. “As the officers led Gray to the vehicle, he yelled about his wrists.
“Also, according to statements the officers later made to investigators, Gray would not walk on his own power, causing his feet to drag on the ground.”
Officers did not put a seatbelt on Gray before putting him in the police wagon. "One of the officers later testified that they did not do so for reasons of officer safety, given the gathering angry crowd," the Justice Department said. "Once Gray was placed inside of the wagon and the doors were shut, witnesses could hear him banging against the wagon and yelling."
Still, officers drove him to central booking. “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.
None of the officers involved were convicted in his death, and the Justice Department declined to prosecute.
When Elicker was asked if the incident involving Cox was comparable to the one involving Gray, the mayor said what happened to Gray was terrible as was what happened to Cox. "We focus on what we can control here in New Haven," Elicker said.
RELATED STORY: Officer acquitted in death of Freddie Gray
Lauren Sue June 30, 2022 at 12:30AM From Daily Kos
0 Comments