Police clears fellow police in death of Fil-Am Angelo Quinto, says cops did not use knee-to-neck chokehold
Antioch Police denied claims that Fil-Am Angelo Quinto’s death was due to the use of force by police officers who responded the night Angelo was having a mental crisis in their home in December 2020.
Angelo Quinto’s family has filed a wrongful death claim against the police department, claiming officers used an illegal knee-on-neck chokehold that led to Angelo’s death.
Cassandra Quinto Collins, Angelo’s mother, said in an interview that Angelo calmed down when the police arrived. The officers took Angelo, who pleaded with the officers “Please don’t kill me. Please don’t kill me,” put him on the ground face down and handcuffed him.
Cassandra also recounted that an officer was holding Angelo’s legs and another had his knee or lower leg at the back of his neck.
At a news conference, police chief Tammany Brooks defended the police who handled Angelo, saying the officer only had his knee on Angelo’s shoulder blade for a few seconds. Brooks said this approved technique is also being taught at police academies in California.
“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, which is outside of our policy and training,” the police chief said.
Brooks said an officer tried to gain control of Angelo’s legs as they were “thrashing around.” After officers asked Cassandra about Angelo’s medical history and learned that he was suffering a mental health crisis, they called an ambulance. Two more officers arrived with the paramedics shortly after.
As the medics entered the room, officers recognized that Angelo became unresponsive. This was the time when Cassandra realized something was wrong with her son and started to record a video on her smartphone, which showed the police officers trying to wake up a still handcuffed Angelo. They turned Angelo’s motionless body and revealed his blood-smeared face.
Afterwards, Angelo was brought to the hospital where he would breathe his last after three days.
The police chief said that “a full examination on the neck revealed there was no evidence of strangulation or crushed airway” and Angelo did have injuries from the struggle with the family and the officers, but “none of them proved to be fatal.”
Brooks also noted that a public coroner’s inquest will provide insight into the medical cause and manner of death. He also said a third-party investigation is currently in process to determine if departmental policies have been violated.
In an interview with ABC Chicago, Quinto’s family lawyer John Burris said the police findings don’t clear officers who responded that night of wrongdoing. “What they’ve said has not ruled out our position of the officers’ conduct and the manner they held him (Angelo) contributed to his inability to breathe that resulted into his death.”
The Antioch Police did not issue a press release or a statement about the incident until nearly a month after when Cassandra’s video, which was released by the family’s lawyer, started circulating online.
Angelo’s family continues to seek justice for Angelo’s death at the hands of the police through a Facebook group Justice for Angelo Quinto, which also calls for “fundamental changes to policing, starting at the local level with the City of Antioch and the Antioch Police Department.”
Angelo, a Navy veteran (honorably discharged for medical reasons) who was born in the Philippines, would’ve turned 31 years old on March 10.