Global Courant
The New Haven Board of Police Commissioners on Wednesday voted to fire two more police officers charged with their involvement in the arrest of Richard “Randy” Cox – a black man who was paralyzed while in police custody.
The decision to fire officers Oscar Diaz and Betsy Segui for their alleged conduct during the June 19, 2022 incident came during a scheduled committee meeting on Wednesday evening.
The vote on whether to terminate Diaz and Segui was originally scheduled for June 7, but was postponed because the officer’s lawyers were unavailable.
Randy Cox’s family and lawyers hold a press conference on November 29, 2022 after five police officers were charged over an incident that left Cox paralyzed.
WTNH
“Sergeant Segui fully expected this outcome,” Gregory Cerittelli, the attorney representing Segui, told ABC News in a statement Wednesday night. “The City of New Haven and its leaders have no appreciation for the very difficult work these police officers do – a job made increasingly difficult when the rank and file lacks the support of the city leaders and their own command staff.”
“What happened to Mr Cox is indeed a very unfortunate incident, but it is a much bigger problem in the NHPD, related to inadequate equipment and lack of training,” Cerittelli added.
ABC News reached out to the attorneys representing Diaz, but requests for comment were not immediately answered.
ABC News has reached out to the New Haven Police Department and an attorney representing Cox for further comment.
The vote to fire Segui and Diaz came after four of the commission’s six members voted on June 7 to fire two other officers involved in Cox’s arrest: Jocelyn Lavandier and Luis Rivera. Two members of the committee abstained from voting.
“This is an absolute rush to judge,” Lavandier attorney Dan Ford told ABC News in a June 8 statement. “The city should have at least waited until the legal process was over before firing Officer Lavandier.”
Rivera’s lawyers did not respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.
The four officers are among five charged on November 28, 2022, for their involvement in the arrest of Cox, who was left paralyzed from injuries sustained while in the custody of the New Haven Police Department. The fifth officer, Ronald Pressley, who was also charged in the incident, had since retired from the police force.
In this image, taken from a police camera video provided by the New Haven Police Department, Richard “Randy” Cox, center, is pulled from the back of a police van and placed in a wheelchair after being detained by the New Haven Police Department. Haven on June 19, 2022. in New Haven, Conn.
New Haven Police via AP, FILE
New Haven District Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr. announced on November 28, 2022, that each of the officers was charged with one charge of second-degree reckless endangerment and one charge of cruelty to persons. Both charges are misconduct.
The officers were each released on $25,000 bail and pleaded not guilty at a January 11 hearing.
The votes to fire the four officers came after New Haven Police Chief Karl Jacobson recommended their firing in March following an investigation into their conduct in the case.
Jacobson said in March his recommendation came after an internal investigation and hearings that provided enough information to pursue termination.
Officers arrested Cox on June 19, 2022 for criminal possession of a firearm and violation of public order. Surveillance video shows the officers placing Cox in the back of a police van without seat belts, causing Cox to be thrown headfirst into the rear wall of the van during an abrupt stop.
Video also shows Cox repeatedly asking for help, saying he couldn’t move, but officers did not immediately give him medical attention and reportedly assumed he was drunk when they arrived at the police station.
The video footage also shows the officers dragging Cox by the feet and throwing him into a wheelchair, which his lawyers say could aggravate his already life-threatening injuries.
In June 2022, all five officers were placed on paid administrative leave. All charges against Cox were dropped in October 2022, according to the New Haven Superior Court Registry.
The officers’ termination came after Cox, who filed a $100 million federal lawsuit against New Haven and the police, reached a $45 million settlement with the city on June 9.
“What happened to Randy Cox is unacceptable,” New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said in a statement. rack on June 9, announcing the settlement. “When a person comes into police custody, it’s a duty to treat them with dignity and respect and in a way that ensures their safety and well-being. That didn’t happen with Randy.”
