Man left paralyzed after his head was slammed against back of police van

A man from Connecticut was left paralyzed after he was injured while riding in a police van, and his family is claiming that several officers ignored his pleas for help. The man, Randy Cox, was handcuffed and incapacitated when police in New Haven dragged him out of the van. The incident occurred on June 19th, after officers arrived in response to a weapons complaint. Authorities arrested Cox, who was carrying a firearm illegally and were taking him to jail when the officer driving the van suddenly stopped, causing Cox's head to slam against the back of the vehicle. A video of the incident showed Cox repeatedly calling for help while an officer ignored him for almost four minutes before calling for an ambulance to meet him at the station. Several other officers then berated Cox, and he was dragged out of the van before being placed in a holding cell where he was shackled despite being paralyzed from the chest down. The family is pursuing damages against the city, and the five officers involved have been placed on paid leave pending an investigation.

 The city has announced policy changes, including installing seat belts in all police department transport vans and requiring officers to buckle in detainees. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump is representing Cox's family and plans to seek a civil settlement from the city to cover Cox's medical care and lifelong injuries, as well as criminal accountability for the officers involved.