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Jewu Richardson will face a jury a second time, to defend himself against charges that he led cops on a cross-town chase that ended with him being shot in the chest.
In April, a judge declared a mistrial after the state initially prosecuted Richardson (pictured) for the alleged crimes. The jury couldn’t come to a decision.
On Tuesday, Richardson’s attorney, Diane Polan, said the state has decided to try the case again. Polan said she doesn’t know when the case will hit the courtroom.
Polan (pictured) said Richardson rejected plea bargain offers from the state. Prosecutors were willing to reduce the amount of jail time they would seek, but not all the way to zero, she said. “They wouldn’t agree to a suspended sentence.”
Prosecutor Jack Doyle, who led the case against Richardson, couldn’t be reached for comment for this story. The clerk’s office confirmed that the case is back on the trial list. A new court date has not yet been set.
Richardson was charged with two felony and seven misdemeanor charges stemming from a car chase with cops in the early evening of Jan. 16, 2010. The chase ended with Officer Ross Van Nostrand atop the hood of Richardson’s boxed-in blue Acura TL at the Mobil gas station at the corner of Whalley and Sherman avenues. Van Nostrand shot Richardson, who was then 32, in the chest. He survived the shooting. Click here for an in-depth account of the case, Richardson’s criminal history, and his history of complaints against the police.
The case became a rallying point for local anti-police-brutality activists, who saw it as an example of an officer jumping on the hood of the car and unjustifiably shooting an unarmed man, with impunity. During the trial, Richardson supporters packed the gallery seats on the left side of the courtroom.
The case also rallied New Haven officers to support their colleagues who were called to testify in the case. Cops saw the case as an example of a man with a criminal history leading police on a dangerous chase and trying to hurt cops. They claim that Richardson, after already causing two car accidents during the chase, hit Officer Ross Van Nostrand with his car, propelling Van Nostrand to the hood; and that Van Nostrand shot in self-defense. Cops and prosecutors regularly filled the seats on the right side of the courtroom during the trial.
Seats on both sides of a New Haven courtroom may fill up again, when his case returns to court.
Anyone who doubts a car is a weapon; you stand in the street, while I drive my car into you, then report back.