A Northern California city has agreed to pay $7.5 million to the family of a 30-year-old man who died days after police restrained him in 2020, settling a wrongful death claim. The family filed the claim against the city of Antioch in February 2021, alleging that the man, Angelo Quinto, was undergoing a mental health episode and died days after police officers kneeled on the back of his neck for nearly five minutes to subdue him.
An internal examination by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s office found no damage to Quinto’s neck area and saw no evidence of criminal offense by the Antioch police officers involved in Quinto’s death. The district attorney's office stated that conflicting medical opinions exist regarding the cause of death, but all witnesses agreed that no police officer applied pressure to Quinto’s neck during the incident.
