Five Connecticut officers charged after man became paralyzed in police van

On Monday, five law enforcement officers from Connecticut have been charged in relation to the neglect of a man they were arresting. The man became partially paralyzed in the back of a police van, despite calling out that he was in distress.

Randy Cox, 36, was being transported to a New Haven police station on June 19th after being arrested on a weapons offence when the driver slammed the brakes at an intersection to avoid a crash, this caused Cox to fly headfirst into a metal partition in the van, WDIO reported.

“I can’t move. I’m going to die like this. Please, please, please help me,” Cox said minutes after the impact.

As Cox begged for help, some of the officers at the detention center reportedly made fun of him and accused him of being drunk and faking his injuries. Officers dragged Cox by his feet from their van and took him in a holding cell before he was transferred to hospital.

“I think I cracked my neck,” Cox said after the van arrived at the detention center, according to WRAL. “You didn’t crack it, no, you drank too much … Sit up,” said one of the officers, Sgt. Betsy Segui.

After being looked over at hospital, Cox was later found to have a fractured neck and was paralyzed.

The five New Haven police officers involved have been charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and cruelty, both of which are misdemeanors. The other officers charged were Officer Oscar Diaz, Officer Ronald Pressley, Officer Jocelyn Lavandier and Officer Luis Rivera. All have been on leave since the incident.

“You can make mistakes, but you can’t treat people poorly, period. You cannot treat people the way Mr. Cox was treated,” Police Chief Karl Jacobson said of the incident, according to WDIO.