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A Black man who was left paralyzed after he was "violently thrown around" in a New Haven police van has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the officers involved and the city, NBC News reports.
Randy Cox, 36, is suing the city of New Haven and five police officers for $100 million as he suffers from "paralysis below his neck" following his June arrest, according to a complaint filed Tuesday (September 27).
The incident unfolded on June 19, when Cox was arrested on a gun charge, handcuffed, and put in the back of a transport van.
According to officials, the police driver braked as Cox was restrained in the van to avoid an accident.
"While seated in the back of the transport van, Cox was handcuffed and had no adequate body or safety restraints for his use," the lawsuit says.“Cox had no warning of the impending and sudden stop resulting in his body being violently thrown around the inside of the transport van resulting in serious and permanent injuries.”
The suit also alleges that the officers were slow to get Cox medical assistance.
Benjamin Crump, a renowned civil rights attorney representing Cox, said the 36-year-old will have a lifetime of medical bills and health challenges.
"This is going to be a regular thing forever," Crump told reporters Tuesday.
Crump hopes the case will be resolved before it reaches a jury.
“And the city has a right to say to this mother, 'We’re not going to put you through all of that,'" Crump said.
City officials, including Mayor Justin Elicker, attended Crump's press conference Tuesday and said they, too, would prefer the suit be resolved before trial.
"We need to make sure that we see this process through and do it deliberately and appropriately," Elicker said.
"There will become a time, probably, when settlement will be discussed," New Haven Corporation Counsel Pat King added.
Along with being paralyzed, Cox has a lifetime of mental health challenges ahead of him, per his attorneys.
"He often wakes up in the middle of dream, a dream he's having where he's running or walking," said Louis Rubano, who is also a part of Cox's legal team. "He wakes up realizing that he's paralyzed."
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