The family of a Northern California man who died three days after being restrained by police settled their lawsuit against the Antioch Police Department and the city for $7.5 million.
Angelo Quinto’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Antioch Police in February 2021, arguing that the police officers did not need to forcefully restrain him when he suffered a mental health episode in December 2020.
When police arrived at the family’s home on December 23, 2020, his mother, Cassandra Quinto-Collins, had already gotten Quinto to calm down, the lawsuit claimed. However, the two officers took control of Quinto and held him in place, face-down on the ground.
According to the complaint, one of the officers placed his knee against the back of Quinto’s neck while the other officer held up his legs. Quinto lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital where he died several days later.
The family said Quinto was pleading with police during the incident, begging them not to kill him.
Quinto’s sister Isabelle Collins said in an interview at the time that she called the police hoping they would help de-escalate the situation. She said that she would always regret her decision to get the police involved.
During the coroner’s inquest, Quinto’s death was ruled accidental. The pathologist testified that the 30-year-old Navy veteran’s cause of death was “excited delirium.”
In a press conference last Wednesday announcing the settlement, the family’s attorney John Burris said there had been several changes to Antioch Police procedures following Quinto’s death.
Buris noted that the Antioch Police are now required to use body cameras. The city also set up a police review commission and the police established a mobile crisis unit and a mental health crisis team to assist people suffering from mental health crises.
The state of California also passed legislation prohibiting the diagnosis of excited delirium from being used as a cause of death.
