New Haven

Man Paralyzed in New Haven Police Custody Has All Charges Dropped: Court Officials

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NBC Connecticut

All charges against Randy Cox, the man seriously injured while in New Haven police custody in June, have been dropped, according to court officials.

Cox, 36, was being driven in a van to a police station in New Haven on June 19 for processing on a weapons charge when the driver braked hard to avoid a collision and Cox went headfirst into the wall of the van, police said.

The New Haven Superior Court said all charges against Cox in relation to the June incident were dismissed.

Cox faced charges including breach of peace, threatening, criminal possession of a firearm and more.

“When watching the video of the incident that left Randy Cox paralyzed, anyone can discern that these officers had preconceived notions about Randy and his character. The officers did not believe Randy when he said he couldn’t move after being thrown against the wall of a van, and accused him of drinking too much," Cox's attorney Ben Crump said in a statement.

The family of Randy Cox called for justice Thursday and said they plan to file a lawsuit next week over the incident earlier this year that left Cox paralyzed from the chest down.

"The New Haven Police Department handled this incident horrifically from start to finish and now they must answer for their conduct. The decision to drop the charges against Randy was absolutely the right one, considering how gravely he was injured while in police custody and how obviously these officers had biases against him," Crump said.

A couple of weeks ago, attorneys for Cox said they filed a $100 million federal lawsuit on his behalf against five officers involved in the incident and the City of New Haven.

Cox’s legal team previously said they hope the city won’t let this case go to trial.

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