ANTIOCH — Saying they trusted the police “too much,” the family of a man who died three days after going unconscious while being detained by Antioch police officers made explosive claims Thursday about what happened — a version of events different from those given by police, who waited more than a month to acknowledge the death publicly.
Angelo Quinto died days after the Dec. 23, 2020 incident. According to attorney John Burris, who has filed a claim against the city on behalf of Quinto’s family, the 30-year-old died after an officer placed his knee on Quinto’s neck, while a second officer held his legs.
As police toppled him, the family said, Quinto pleaded with officers: “Please don’t kill me. Please don’t kill me.”
Quinto never regained consciousness after the incident and died three days later at a hospital.
The family had called police because Quinto needed “mental health help,” Burris said. Police said officers had called an ambulance to place Quinto in a mental health hold when he went unconscious.
Burris, a well-known Bay Area civil rights attorney, called Quinto’s death “particularly horrific” at a Thursday news conference in front of the family’s home. He was surrounded dozens of Quinto’s supporters, many wearing blue shirts with Quinto’s image.
Also attending were family of other people who died in police incidents: relatives of Oscar Grant, killed by a BART police officer on New Year’s Day 2009; Taun Hall, the mother of Miles Hall, killed by Walnut Creek police in 2019, and Richard Perez, father of Richard “Pedie” Perez, killed by Richmond police in 2014.
“There are a lot of issues wrong here,” Burris said. “The technique applied by officers. The failure to de-escalate. The jumping on his back, the putting into his neck by a knee.
“Given what we know, which is that we had a healthy young man in his mother’s arms. The police grabbed him. They themselves, their conduct, snuffed the life out of him. We see that not only as a violation of his civil rights but it’s a violation of humanity, frankly.”
Antioch police waited more than a month after Quinto’s death, until Jan. 25, to confirm the incident publicly in response to inquiries from this newspaper.
“Police didn’t inform anybody,” said Ben Nisenbaum, an associate of Burris. “That’s suspicious.”
At the time, a police spokesman said Quinto suffered a “medical emergency” while police were detaining him and said that while officers handcuffed Quinto, they didn’t use more serious force.
The spokesman, Lt. John Fortner, said police would release more information about Quinto’s death once “several unknowns” were cleared up.
Antioch police had not released any further information as of Thursday. Lt. Tarra Mendes said Thursday that “the investigation is still ongoing. We want it to be completed. As soon as it is completed, we will be able to provide the public with more information.”
At their news conference, Burris and Nisenbaum played video shot from inside the home and video of a re-enactment of the incident that lead to Quinto’s death. Police have not yet responded to a request from the Bay Area News Group for the public release of any body-camera video of the incident.
Video: Family re-enacts Angelo Quinto death on Dec. 23, 2020.
CLICK HERE if you’re viewing on a mobile device.
“Drugs were not involved,” Nisenbaum said. “Even if they were, you’ve got a case where the family called police to help them. And they killed him. Police have to do a better job than that.”
The legal claim is a precursor to a lawsuit against the city of Antioch and its police force.
In the weeks since his death, family members and friends say Angelo Quinto’s mom has asked, “What number should I have called?”
“When she called 911, she was looking for help,” said Robert Collins, Quinto’s stepfather. “She had no idea she was stepping into a system that’s broken.”
Said Isabella Collins, Quinto’s sister, of the police: “We trusted them too much.”
Burris compared Angelo Quinto’s death to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, while others on hand called for legislation to change how police approach mental health incidents.
“Even when (police) know that an incident involves the mentally ill,” Taun Hall said, “they still come with guns.”
The results of an autopsy are still pending and no tentative cause of death has been released. At some point, Quinto’s death will be reviewed by a Contra Costa coroner’s inquest jury at a public hearing in Martinez, as well as by a second coroner independent of the county, Burris said.
Quinto is the latest person to die during a struggle with officers in Contra Costa. Last year, Antioch police agreed to pay $475,000 to settle a lawsuit by the family of Rakeem Rucks, who died of a heart attack as officers were attempting to put him in a restraint device. The suit, also filed by Burris’ office, alleged they forced his face into the dirt and kneeled on him.
In 2016, an Antioch man died of asphyxiation after an officer placed him in a carotid hold during a struggle, a technique that has since been widely banned due to a number of nationwide deaths attributed to it. Later that year, Pittsburg police killed a man by placing him in a carotid hold and later paid $7.3 million to settle the suit.
