Angelo Quinto's death spurs City Council to approve police reform measures

Angelo Quinto was handcuffed and not resisting police before police placed a knee on his neck.

Police reform measures were introduced during a marathon 7.5-hour special meeting of the Antioch City Council Friday, Feb. 27.

“It’s been a pretty turbulent week in the city of Antioch,” Mayor Lamar Thorope said to open the meeting, referring to several police-involved shootings that occurred last week.

Most of the Friday meeting was occupied hearing the hundreds of public comments submitted by residents, minority civil rights advocates, police supporters and family members of Angelo Quinto, the Filipino American who died Dec. 26 after police officers restrained him with a knee-to-the-neck, the same police technique that resulted in the death of George Floyd last Spring.

Thorpe offered seven proposals for police reform to the council including: Mental health crisis response, officer training, demilitarization of police, bodycams and dashcams, independent review of complaints, hiring and screening and public notification for major incidents.

All the proposals passed and were referred to staff for further study, basically to find the funding for the reform.

The first agenda item was hearing a presentation about an alternative to police responding to mental health episodes that has successfully been adopted in several cities. CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) involves sending out a mental health specialist and an EMT to deescalate those situations.

In their regularly scheduled city council meeting Tuesday, Police Chief Tammany Brooks said, “I do recognize that as devastated as we may feel, it does not compare to the pain felt by the family of the deceased,” Brooks said in part, stressing his interest in a transparent and trustworthy process.

“Should there be any violation of Antioch Police Department policies, I can assure the community I will hold these officers accountable for their actions. Regardless of the outcome, these investigations will be available for public review. Once completed, it is important that our community understand and have the opportunity to review the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident.”

The City Council, Quinto's famly and supporters are awaiting a coroner's report on the actual cause of Angelo Quinto's death.

On December 23, 2020, Quinto's sister Isabella Collins called Antioch police to their home, because he was acting erratically. When police arrived, Quinto was on the floor in his mother Maria Quinto-Collins's arms, and "he had already started to calm down." 

However, the two APD officers reportedly made no attempt to understand the situation and instead, immediately grabbed Quinto from his mother's arms, handcuffed him, and proceeded to "subdue" him by placing a knee on Quinto's neck for five minutes, according to his mother and sister.

By the time EMTs arrived, Quinto was already unconcious and bleeding from the mouth. He died in the hospital three days later.

The family is suing the Antioch Police Department for using excessive force  during a nonviolent incident.