‘THE RIGHT DECISION’

Charges Dropped Against Man Paralyzed in New Haven Police Custody

In June, Randy Cox was being transported, handcuffed but unsecured, in a police van when he was thrown against the wall of the van as it braked suddenly.

A man who was partially paralyzed while being transported in Connecticut police custody has had all charges against him dropped, the deputy chief clerk for the New Haven Superior Court said Thursday. Richard “Randy” Cox, 36, was arrested in June after police accused him of carrying a handgun at a block party. He faced charges of possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a permit, both first- and second-degree threatening, and second-degree breach of peace. After his arrest, Cox was being driven in the back of a police van when its driver braked suddenly, throwing the unsecured Cox across the vehicle, hitting his head. Video of the aftermath showed a handcuffed Cox crying out that he was unable to move. Cox’s attorney, Ben Crump, said the officers handling the transport “did not believe” Cox and “accused him of drinking too much.” Cox, now paralyzed from the chest down, sued five police officers and the city of New Haven for $100 million in September. In a statement Thursday, New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker called the dropped charges “the right decision.”