The family of a Filipino man has filed a wrongful death suit against the Antioch Police Department stating that officers kneeled on his neck for five minutes until he lost consciousness and died days later.
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Police officers responded to a call on Dec. 23 when Angelo Quinto was experiencing a mental health episode at home. According to his sister Isabella Collins, the Navy veteran has a history of anxiety, depression, and paranoia, leading her to contact police so Angelo wouldn’t hurt their mother. Complex reported that the officers found him in his mother’s arms and grabbed the young man then restrained him to the floor. The family lawyer, John L. Burris said during last week’s press conference that “Police came and snatched him from his mom. He said ‘please don’t kill me,’ and officers said ‘We’re not going to do that,’ and yet they did.”
The incident was captured on camera by Maria Quinto-Collins and she shared the footage online. It shows Quinto laying on the floor unresponsive as officers questioned the family about his medication and other daily routines.
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Quinto’s death is currently being investigated by the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office and a statement has yet to be released by the Antioch Police Department. The case is going viral media as users are bringing awareness about Quinto’s story and compared it to George Floyd’s death.
The story of #AngeloQuinto is another reason we should hold police accountable. I’m so tired. THIS SHOULD NOT BE HAPPENING.
STOP. KNEELING. ON. PEOPLE!!!! pic.twitter.com/ZQR0KDd5tu
— c ❄️ d y (@heyycody_) February 24, 2021
A knee to the neck killed George Floyd and now the same thing killed Angelo Quinto. When will this stop?
— pikachu (pee-ka-chu) (@thakid_aaron) February 24, 2021
#angeloquinto it’s heart-breaking that his family relied on the police for protection, not knowing that the police in the US really only serve to protect white & able-bodied citizens.
guess we should, i don’t know, abolish the police and learn to treat humans with love & care? https://t.co/jZyLt2goKm
— Julia (Kim) Flasphaler (@juliaflafla) February 24, 2021
his name was Angelo Quinto and @AntiochPolice murdered him. they knelt on his neck for 5 minutes while he begged them not to kill him, in front of his family.
utterly disgusted. https://t.co/95SJyb1GBu— ☭ 𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔦𝔣𝔞 𝔱𝔢𝔠𝔥 𝔰𝔲𝔭𝔭𝔬𝔯𝔱 ☭ (@masonisbigsexy) February 24, 2021