2023-06-10 23:42:02
The government of New Haven, Connecticut, has reached a $45 million settlement with Randy Cox, who was paralyzed as he was carried handcuffed and without a seatbelt into the back of a police van following his arrest last year, the government reported. Saturday the municipal mayor and lawyers.
The deal was reached Friday followingnoon following a daylong conference with a federal justice of the peace, Mayor Justin Elicker said. It came two days following the city fired two police officers who authorities say treated Cox negligently and without compassion.
“The city’s mistakes have been well documented,” said a statement from attorneys Ben Crump, Louis Rubano and RJ Weber, who represented Cox. “But today is a time to look to the future, so New Havens can trust their city and their police department.”
Cox, 36, was paralyzed from the chest down on June 19, 2022 when the police van he was being transported in slammed on the brakes, sending him headlong into a metal partition with his hands handcuffed behind his back. Cox had been arrested on charges of threatening a woman with a firearm, which were later dismissed.
“I can not move. That’s how I’m going to die. Please, please, please help me,” Cox said minutes following the crash, according to police video.
Once at the police station, officers taunted Cox and accused him of being intoxicated and faking his injuries, according to surveillance and body camera video. The cops dragged Cox out of the truck by his feet and locked him in a holding cell before being taken to a hospital.
Five police officers, including those who were fired, face criminal charges in the case. All have pleaded not guilty.
Last year, Cox sued police officers and city authorities for $100 million. His lawyers called it the largest settlement ever in a police misconduct case.
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