Family outraged officers involved in death of Angelo Quinto won't be charged
ANTIOCH - The family of an Antioch man died in police custody said they are disappointed the officers involved won't face any criminal charges.
The Contra Costa County District Attorney Office recently announced it will not charge four officers in the death of Angelo Quinto, concluding they did nothing wrong.
"I cannot believe this. It's unbelievable. It's a very numbing feeling," said Quinto's mother Cassandra Quinto-Collins.
Quinto-Collins and her daughter Bella Quinto Collins believed the district attorney's office made the wrong decision.
"We know this was excessive force," said Bella Quinto Collins.
In a newly released report, investigators with the D.A.'s office found the method of restraining Angelo Quinto "was objectively reasonable."
Investigators wrote "no officer applied pressure to Quinto's neck" and his autopsy showed no damage to his airway.
But Quinto-Collins accused the four officers, identified in the report as Arturo Becerra, James Perkinson, Daniel Hopwood, and Nicholas Shipilov, of covering up the facts since they did not have chest cameras. Quinto-Collins did record a cellphone video that contained mostly audio.
"They are lying because I know what I saw. I was there," said Cassandra Quinto-Collins.
"They're lying about the extent of their force, the duration of their force," said Bella Quinto Collins.
They said a couple of the officers kneeled on Angelo's shoulder and neck, cutting off his oxygen. Their family attorney has already filed a federal civil lawsuit against the police department, alleging wrongful death.
"This report was not fair. It was not impartial. And it was intended, in our view, to improperly absolve the officers of pretty clear wrongdoing in this case," said attorney Ben Nisenbaum.
Investigators said on December 23, 2020, Quinto's sister called 911 after Quinto was having a mental episode and threatening his family.
Antioch officers arrived to find mom holding Quinto in a "bearhug" position to restraint him.
Officers said since Quinto was not cooperating, they separated the two, handcuffed and kneeled on Quinto's shoulder to control him. The family disputed the account and said the officers should have just cuffed him and allowed him to sit up.
"He was compliant. He wasn't combative," said Cassandra Quinto-Collins.
The family will send a letter to State Attorney General Rob Bonta to ask him to re-examine the criminal case.