Angelo Quinto's family files wrongful death lawsuit against a California police department

JOHN BURRIS

A tearful Isabella Collins, sister of Angelo Quinto, spoke at a press conference Monday.

The family of a Filipino American man who died while being restrained by police filed a lawsuit Monday in Antioch, a suburb east of Oakland, CA.

Angelo Quinto, 30, was experiencing a mental health crisis ion Dec. 23, last year, when police, who were called by Quinto family members, arrived. The officers restrained him, having him face down.

Quinto’s mother and sister noted that they were horrified when the officers suddenly and without warning violently grabbed her son from her arms cuffed him and took him down to the bedroom floor.

Quinto pleaded with the cops “Please don’t kill me,” at least twice before being put in a prone position, face down, according to his family.

ANGELO QUINTO

The family's attorney, John Burris, said that records obtained by his office show that police lied to paramedics when they said  Quinto was high on methamphetamine and struggled with them while he was being restrained. 

An independent autopsy showed Quinto had no drugs in his system and his eyes had petechial hemorrhaging – tell-tale signs of asphyxia, said Burris.

By the time the medical techs arrived and moved him to another room, it was clear that Quinto's body was limp and he was unconscious, according to a video taken by Quinto's mother.

The EMTs brought Angelo Quinto to a local hospital where staff declared his death three days later.

The APD did not release details of the incident until a month later and only after a reporter began making inquiries.

In a March press conference, Antioch Police Chief Tammany Brooks, said, "At no point did any officer use a knee, or other body part to gain leverage or apply pressure to Angelo's head, neck, or throat."

Neither the APD or city officials responded to the claims put forth by the lawsuit. 

The official cause and manner of death will be determined during a coroner’s inquest that is scheduled to begin in Contra Costa County Superior Court on Aug. 20.

“Death is permanent and we’re never ever going to get his smile back or he’s never going to irritate me again,” said Isabella Collins, Angelo's sister, at a Monday press conference. “I miss that a lot. I wanted to see him old, I didn’t expect to go to his funeral at 18. He didn’t deserve what happened to him and nobody deserves — it hurts to remember him, it hurts to remember how he went. “

Officers did not cause Angelo Quinto's death, says Antioch police chief.

KPFA

A rally demanding justice for Angelo Quinto was held in Antioch, CA.

Antioch police officers were not the cause of Angelo Quinto's death, contends Police Chief Tamany Brooks.

“At no point, did any officer use a knee or any body part to gain leverage or apply pressure to Angelo’s head, neck or throat which is outside of our policy and training,” said Brooks at a Monday (March 1) press conference contradicting the family's version of events.

“According to preliminary results of an investigation, at one point during the hand cuff, an officer did briefly for a few seconds have a knee across a portion of his shoulder blade which is a common control technique taught (in) California's approved police academies for prone handcuffing,” Brooks said.

The police chief released the findings from multiple pathologists of the county's Sheriff's Office's coroners bureau, which concluded:

1. Although Quinto had injuries consistent with a struggle with his family and law enforcement, none of the injuries appeared to be fatal.
2. There were no fractures of the skull, torso, or extremities.
3. A full examination of the neck revealed there was no evidence of strangulation or crushed airway.
4. They are currently expanding toxicology testing because they were aware of reported past drug use.

The cause of death is still to be determined.

For the first time, Brooks revealed the names of the officers who responded — Nicholas Shipilov, Arturo Becerra, Daniel Hopwood and James Perkinson — and said that when Becerra and Perkinson arrived at 11:12 p.m. on Dec. 23, they found Quinto restrained on a bedroom floor by his mother. Officers then asked her to move so they could handcuff him.

At 11:23 p.m., “As medics entered the room, officers recognized that Angelo had become unresponsive and potentially experiencing a medical emergency. Angelo was immediately unhandcuffed and medics began evaluating him and rendered medical aid,” stated Brooks.

Brooks continued the timeline, saying that Angelo was transferred to an area hospital by approximately 11:30 pm.

The Quinto family insist that police went too far and placed a knee on Angelo Quinto's neck "for five minutes," leading to the 30-year-old Navy veteran's death.

“Absolutely excessive unnecessary; it just doesn’t make sense to use that against someone who is a lot smaller than you and is not resisting,” said Quinto's sister Bella Collins. “I should not, nor should anyone else, ever have to regret calling the police when they are supposed to be the people that help you.”

Angelo Quinto 

The Monday press conference follows a special City Council meeting Friday evening where a number of police reform measures were approved and sent to staff for further study. Among the proposed reforms is the mandatory use of body cameras and the creation of an alternative response to mental health episodes that doesn't include police.

John Burris, the Quintos' attorney, told ABC that along with the family's claims of a knee-to-neck  restraint, the same technique that killed George Floyd last Spring, there were other issues with the police actions, including how they didn't try to de-escalate and first talk to Quinto, and how they failed to turn on their body cameras and the camera in their patrol car and why the department didn't inform the public of Quinto's death until Jan. 25 when it answered inquiries made by the East Bay Times.

Burris filed a wrongful death claim against the city and the APD last month. The investigation by the Sheriff''s Office is still ongoing.

Meanwhile, the family and activists will continue to protest and Quinto’s family will continue to fight through the courts. “The road to justice is not easy but we will continue to fight for justice for Angelo and justice for all,” Quinto’s family said a recent Instagram post. “We have no doubt that the truth will prevail.”

CORRECTION: March 4, 12:30 p.m., Switched "lawsuit," with "claim" for the legal action filed against Antioch.