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Taxpayers Shell Out $45 Million After Man Paralyzed As Cops Slam Brakes in Police Van, Sending Him Flying (Video)

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New Haven, CT — On June 19, 2022, Randy Cox was arrested for an alleged gun charge. Moments later, he would be paralyzed from the waist down — his treatment reminiscent of Freddie Gray, who was killed by police during a similar ride.

This week, the City of New Haven announced that the taxpayers of Connecticut will pay $45 million to settle a lawsuit with Cox.

News 8 reports that they spoke with the sister of Richard “Randy” Cox, who remains focused on getting Cox the care he needs. The money from the settlement will undoubtedly help.

“If a situation like this happens again, hopefully, others won’t stand around and watch,” LaToya Boomer said, quoting her brother.

“He appreciates the mayor and the police chief for keeping their word and holding everyone accountable,” Boomer said.

The accountability Boomer is referring to happened last November when the officers involved were charged.

In November, five New Haven police officers were charged with second-degree reckless endangerment and cruelty to persons — all misdemeanors. The officers were given a $25,000 bond. The officers involved are Officer Oscar Diaz, Sgt. Betsy Segui, Officer Ronald Pressley, Officer Jocelyn Lavandier, and Officer Luis Rivera.

Two of the officers involved were fired, while two others will learn their fate at a Board of Police Commissioners meeting later this month. A fifth officer retired following the incident.

“We need to be transparent and accountable. Period,” said New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson. “You cannot treat people the way that Mr. Cox was treated.”

Last year, Cox was handcuffed and placed unsecured in the back of a police van before officers slammed on the brakes. The video shows the abrupt stop caused Cox to fly headfirst toward the front of the van’s holding area, smashing his head on the wall and falling to the floor.

According to then-New Haven Police Chief Regina Rush-Kittle, Cox was arrested after New Haven officers responded to a “weapons complaint” call. Body camera footage shows Cox being placed in the back of the police van at 8:33 p.m. About 2 minutes into the ride, Cox is seen in the back of the van kicking the wall. Fifteen seconds after he kicks the wall, the van comes to a sudden stop.

As the video shows, Cox becomes airborne as he flies to the front of the van, slamming his head into the wall and apparently breaking his neck.

According to Rush-Kittle, officer Oscar Diaz — who was driving the vehicle — was making an “evasive maneuver” to avoid an accident with another vehicle. The timing of the sudden stop was suspicious, however, as it happened right after Cox began kicking the wall of the van.

After slamming on the brakes, officer Diaz pulls over to check in on Cox.

“What, you fell?” Diaz asked Cox.

“I can’t move,” replied Cox. “I fall. I cannot move my arms.”

Diaz claimed he would then call Cox an ambulance before shutting the van’s doors and driving Cox to jail.

Once they arrived back at the detention center, Cox continues to tell officers that he cannot move and they mock him for it.

“You’re not even trying!” one officer says.

As the body camera footage shows, police think Cox is drunk, and instead of getting him help, they question him about intoxication. He’s then dragged from the van, thrown in a wheelchair, and dragged to a holding cell.

“Oh my god, [inaudible] I f**king broke my neck,” Cox said as police attempted to remove him from the wheelchair.

“He’s perfectly fine,” says a cop before cuffing Cox’s ankles.

Eventually, an ambulance would come, and Cox was taken to the hospital where he underwent surgery on his broken neck. He remains paralyzed from the chest down, and in October, all the charges against him were dropped.

Nickel Rides became notorious after a court case revealed that police were using this tactic as a witness-free way to punish unruly, uncooperative, or arrogant suspects – without ever laying a hand on them. For rogue police, it was a literal way to deliver “street justice.”

Article posted with permission from Matt Agorist


Matt Agorist

Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Agorist is also the Editor at Large at the Free Thought Project.
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