‘My Neck Is Broken’: Connecticut Cops Avoid Jail Time and Pay $15 Fines After Black Man Paralyzed During ‘Rough Ride’ In Police Van Without Seatbelt

In an incident reminiscent of the Freddie Gray tragedy, Connecticut cops placed a handcuffed Black man in the back of a police van without restraining him before coming to a sudden stop in 2022, hurling the Black man headfirst into a metal partition, paralyzing him from the neck down. The five New Haven police officers involved in the incident were arrested on misdemeanors, and the victim, Randy Cox, received a $45 million settlement in 2023 — which remains the largest police abuse settlement in the history of the United States. But earlier this month, two of the cops, Ronald Pressley and Betsy Segui, accepted plea deals of suspended six-month sentences, meaning they will not spend a day in jail. They were also required to pay a $15 fine in court costs, according to New Haven Independent. Two of the cops who left a Black man named Randy Cox paralyzed during a “rough ride,” then dragged him into a jail cell, received suspended jail sentences and $15 fines. (Photo: New Haven Police and family photo) The other three New Haven cops, including the one driving the van, rejected the plea deals, choosing to go to trial instead, confident they would beat...