Randy Cox was dragged out of the van and lifted into a wheelchair. He was processed and put into a holding cell, where he was laid down, unable to move. "At some point in time, somebody should have said, ‘Something is not right,'" Cox's sister says.
It started at a block party in New Haven, Connecticut.
Police arrested 36-year-old Randy Cox on June 19 after he was allegedly seen carrying a gun without a permit. He was handcuffed and placed inside a police van, which was not equipped with seatbelts.
Suddenly, the officer driving the van slammed his brakes to avoid an accident. Cox went sliding to the back of the vehicle and smashed his head, before slumping over and calling for help, surveillance video of the incident shows.
“Help! I can’t get up,” Cox yelled from the back.
“I can’t hear you,” the officer said in body camera footage.
It took the officer nearly four minutes to check on him. He radioed for an ambulance to meet them at the police station.
“I think I broke my neck,” Cox said.
Cox was told to move his legs.
“Why you not listening, bro? I can’t move!” Cox said.
“You’re not even trying,” a woman responded.
They dragged Cox out of the van and lifted him into a wheelchair. He was processed and once again dragged into a holding cell, where he was laid down, unable to move.
“Mr. Cox was mistreated. He should have received medical attention immediately,” New Haven Assistant Police Chief Karl Jacobson said.
Layota Boomer, Cox’s sister, says her brother is now paralyzed from the chest down.
“It made me sick to my stomach. I couldn't actually finish the whole video. They should be ashamed of themselves. At some point in time, somebody should have said, ‘Something is not right.’”
The family has hired prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
“There needs to be accountability. There needs to be policy changes, so this does not happen to the next marginalized person,” Crump said.
The circumstances are similar to what happened in 2015 to Freddie Gray in Baltimore.
Inside Edition chief correspondent Jim Moret demonstrated what it’s like to be in the back of a van with his hands and legs tied. To protect himself from any potential injury, he wore a helmet and pads.
“I’m jolted, tossed around, and I feel totally helpless,” Moret said.
As well as being paralyzed, Cox also has to use a tube in order to breathe. The officers involved have been put on administrative leave pending an investigation.
