Charges Against 3 Officers Accused of Prisoner Mistreatment Dismissed by Judge

A Connecticut judge recently dismissed criminal charges against three current and former New Haven police officers accused of mistreating prisoner Richard “Randy” Cox, who was left paralyzed in a police van incident in 2022. The ruling came from Judge David Zagaja, who granted the officers—Oscar Diaz, Jocelyn Lavandier, and Luis Rivera—a probation program that allows for the erasure of charges from their records, stating that their conduct was not malicious.

Two other officers, Betsy Segui and Ronald Pressley, had previously pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless endangerment and received no jail time. The case has drawn significant attention due to the severity of Cox’s injuries and the circumstances surrounding them.

Cox, 40, suffered paralysis from the chest down on June 19, 2022, after a police van, which lacked seat belts, braked suddenly to avoid an accident. This abrupt stop caused him to collide head-first with a metal partition while his hands were cuffed behind his back. Initially arrested on charges of threatening a woman with a gun, those charges were later dismissed.

In distressing footage from the police van, Cox can be heard pleading for help just minutes after his injury, saying, “I can’t move. I’m going to die like this. Please, please, please help me.” Subsequent medical evaluations revealed that he had broken his neck.

Diaz, the officer driving the van, transported Cox to the police department, where surveillance and body-worn camera footage showed officers mocking him and accusing him of being drunk and faking his injuries. Officers dragged Cox out of the van and around the police station before placing him in a holding cell, awaiting paramedics who would take him to the hospital.

During an internal affairs investigation, it was reported that Lavandier instructed Cox to move his leg and sit up, to which he responded, “I can’t move.” Lavandier then retorted, “You’re not even trying.”

New Haven State’s Attorney John P. Doyle Jr.’s office indicated that both prosecutors and Cox did not object to the dismissal of the charges. Defense attorneys argued that while the officers expressed sympathy for Cox’s situation, they did not cause or exacerbate his injuries. The three officers had been scheduled for trial next month.

Lavandier’s attorney, Dan Ford, stated, “We don’t think that there was sufficient evidence to prove her guilt or any wrongdoing. This is a negotiated settlement that avoids the risk of having to go through the emotional toll of a trial.” Rivera’s lawyer, Raymond Hassett, described the decision to charge the officers as “unjust and misplaced,” suggesting that the actions of the Police Chief and City Mayor were an attempt to deflect attention from departmental shortcomings.

Attorneys for both Cox and Diaz did not respond immediately to inquiries. Cox’s lawyer, Louis Rubano, expressed that Cox and his family hoped for a swift resolution through plea bargains.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker publicly disagreed with the judge’s decision, stating, “What happened to Randy was tragic and awful.” The case has sparked outrage among civil rights advocates, including the NAACP, and has drawn comparisons to the Freddie Gray case in Baltimore. Both Cox and Gray are Black, while the officers involved are either Black or Hispanic.

This incident has prompted reforms within the New Haven police department, including a statewide requirement for seat belts in police vans. In 2023, the city of New Haven agreed to settle a lawsuit with Cox for $45 million.

Following the incident, the New Haven police department terminated Segui, Diaz, Lavandier, and Rivera for violating conduct policies, while Pressley retired to avoid an internal investigation. Diaz appealed his termination and was reinstated, while Segui lost her appeal. Appeals for Lavandier and Rivera remain pending.

Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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A Connecticut judge recently dismissed criminal charges against three current and former New Haven police officers accused of mistreating prisoner Richard “Randy” Cox, who was left paralyzed in a police van incident in 2022. The ruling came from Judge David Zagaja, who granted the officers—Oscar Diaz, Jocelyn Lavandier, and Luis Rivera—a probation program that allows for the erasure of charges from their records, stating that their conduct was not malicious.

Two other officers, Betsy Segui and Ronald Pressley, had previously pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless endangerment and received no jail time. The case has drawn significant attention due to the severity of Cox’s injuries and the circumstances surrounding them.

Cox, 40, suffered paralysis from the chest down on June 19, 2022, after a police van, which lacked seat belts, braked suddenly to avoid an accident. This abrupt stop caused him to collide head-first with a metal partition while his hands were cuffed behind his back. Initially arrested on charges of threatening a woman with a gun, those charges were later dismissed.

In distressing footage from the police van, Cox can be heard pleading for help just minutes after his injury, saying, “I can’t move. I’m going to die like this. Please, please, please help me.” Subsequent medical evaluations revealed that he had broken his neck.

Diaz, the officer driving the van, transported Cox to the police department, where surveillance and body-worn camera footage showed officers mocking him and accusing him of being drunk and faking his injuries. Officers dragged Cox out of the van and around the police station before placing him in a holding cell, awaiting paramedics who would take him to the hospital.

During an internal affairs investigation, it was reported that Lavandier instructed Cox to move his leg and sit up, to which he responded, “I can’t move.” Lavandier then retorted, “You’re not even trying.”

New Haven State’s Attorney John P. Doyle Jr.’s office indicated that both prosecutors and Cox did not object to the dismissal of the charges. Defense attorneys argued that while the officers expressed sympathy for Cox’s situation, they did not cause or exacerbate his injuries. The three officers had been scheduled for trial next month.

Lavandier’s attorney, Dan Ford, stated, “We don’t think that there was sufficient evidence to prove her guilt or any wrongdoing. This is a negotiated settlement that avoids the risk of having to go through the emotional toll of a trial.” Rivera’s lawyer, Raymond Hassett, described the decision to charge the officers as “unjust and misplaced,” suggesting that the actions of the Police Chief and City Mayor were an attempt to deflect attention from departmental shortcomings.

Attorneys for both Cox and Diaz did not respond immediately to inquiries. Cox’s lawyer, Louis Rubano, expressed that Cox and his family hoped for a swift resolution through plea bargains.

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker publicly disagreed with the judge’s decision, stating, “What happened to Randy was tragic and awful.” The case has sparked outrage among civil rights advocates, including the NAACP, and has drawn comparisons to the Freddie Gray case in Baltimore. Both Cox and Gray are Black, while the officers involved are either Black or Hispanic.

This incident has prompted reforms within the New Haven police department, including a statewide requirement for seat belts in police vans. In 2023, the city of New Haven agreed to settle a lawsuit with Cox for $45 million.

Following the incident, the New Haven police department terminated Segui, Diaz, Lavandier, and Rivera for violating conduct policies, while Pressley retired to avoid an internal investigation. Diaz appealed his termination and was reinstated, while Segui lost her appeal. Appeals for Lavandier and Rivera remain pending.

Copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Topics
Legislation