The family of a man who died while being restrained by Antioch police officers in 2020 has settled a lawsuit against the city for $7.5 million.
Still, Angelo Quinto’s family said at a news conference Wednesday that the differences in how police now must deal with their community and those with mental illness are more meaningful than the money.
“It makes me feel a bit like his life was not lived in vain,” Quinto’s father, Robert Collins, said Wednesday, after civil rights attorney John Burris announced the settlement at the residence in the 1900 block of Crestwood Drive where Quinto, 30, and the police had their fateful meeting on Dec. 23, 2020.
Quinto died three days later. Police were called to the residence because Quinto was suffering a mental health crisis.
Burris announced the decision while flanked by fellow attorney Ben Nisenbaum and members of Quinto’s family, including his mother, Cassandra Quinto-Collins, and his sister, Bella Quinto-Collins.
“Emotionally, (I’m) kind of all over the map,” Bella Quinto-Collins said. “I feel a lot of sadness, because the civil judgment doesn’t get you a criminal prosecution. But I’m real grateful for the direction and purpose that we’ve been given in the aftermath, because we had to have it to get through this. And we’re just at the beginning of what we’re trying to do We’re not at the end.”
Quinto’s death later initially was ruled accidental during a coroner’s inquest after a pathologist testified the cause was “excited delirium,” a condition that was primarily cited in cases involving police force.
The term hassince been bannedfrom being recognized as a valid medical diagnosis or cause of death in California, after legislation that came about in the wake of Quinto’s death.
Burris said numerous other changes have come to Antioch policing in the wake of Quinto’s death, including the use of body-worn cameras, a mental health crisis team, a mobile crisis unit and a police review commission.
“It’s an effort on the part of the city working with the family” that has allowed the changes in the city, Burris said. “The real plus that comes from this case is the collective effort on their part and the willingness on the part of the city officials, including the mayor’s office, to work collectively to bring about positive change.”
Quinto, a Navy veteran with a history of mental health issues, passed out while being restrained by police. In announcing the lawsuitin August 2021, Burris said an officer placed his knee on Quinto’s neck while a second officer held his legs up and backward before Quinto lost consciousness.
Family members said an officer put his knee on Quinto’s neck for several minutes while Quinto was face down. They say he pleaded with officers to “please don’t kill me” during the incident.
Then-Police Chief Tammany Brooks named the officers who responded as Nicholas Shipilov, Arturo Becerra, Daniel Hopwood and James Perkinson.
Andrei Quinto, brother of Angelo Quinto, right, consoles his mom Cassandra Quinto-Collins during a press conference in Antioch, Calif., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The family of Angelo Quinto is receiving a $7.5 million lawsuit settlement from the city of Antioch following Quinto's death at the hand of Antioch police in Dec. 2020. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe speaks during a press conference in Antioch, Calif., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. To the right is civil rights attorney John Burris. The family of Angelo Quinto is receiving a $7.5 million lawsuit settlement from the city of Antioch following Quinto's death at the hand of Antioch police in Dec. 2020. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Andrei Quinto, brother of Angelo Quinto listens during a press conference in Antioch, Calif., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The family of Angelo Quinto is receiving a $7.5 million lawsuit settlement from the city of Antioch following Quinto's death at the hand of Antioch police in Dec. 2020. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Angelo’s mom Cassandra Quinto-Collins is consoled by Kathryn Wade, left, during a press conference in Antioch, Calif., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The family of Angelo Quinto is receiving a $7.5 million lawsuit settlement from the city of Antioch following Quinto's death at the hand of Antioch police in Dec. 2020. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Andrei Quinto, brother of Angelo Quinto, reacts during a press conference in Antioch, Calif., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The family of Angelo Quinto is receiving a $7.5 million lawsuit settlement from the city of Antioch following Quinto's death at the hand of Antioch police in Dec. 2020. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Civil rights attorney John Burris speaks during a press conference in Antioch, Calif., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The family of Angelo Quinto is receiving a $7.5 million lawsuit settlement from the city of Antioch following Quinto's death at the hand of Antioch police in Dec. 2020. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Angelo Quito’s mom Cassandra Quinto-Collins, left, is consoled by Gigi Crowder, executive director of the Contra Costa chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, during a press conference in Antioch, Calif., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. To the right is Angelo’s stepdad Robert Collins. The family of Angelo Quinto is receiving a $7.5 million lawsuit settlement from the city of Antioch following Quinto's death at the hand of Antioch police in Dec. 2020. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe, second from left, and supporters listen during a press conference in Antioch, Calif., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The family of Angelo Quinto is receiving a $7.5 million lawsuit settlement from the city of Antioch following Quinto's death at the hand of Antioch police in Dec. 2020. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
Family supporter and activist Devin Williams listens during a press conference in Antioch, Calif., on Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The family of Angelo Quinto is receiving a $7.5 million lawsuit settlement from the city of Antioch following Quinto's death at the hand of Antioch police in Dec. 2020. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)
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