US Navy vet dies after cop kneels on his neck, family says in claim

Family of Angelo Quinto have filed a wrongful death lawsuit and say they 30-year-old US Navy veteran from Northern California died late last year after a police officer knelt on his neck for five minutes.

The claim, filed on filed February 18, says Quinto was experiencing a mental health crisis after suffering from paranoia and anxiety when officers from the Antioch Police Department arrived on the scene.

CNN reported that Quinto’s sister Isabella Collins called the police to their home on December 23 due to fear that he would hurt their mother, lawyer John L. Burris said during a press conference.

The claim stated that before the police came, his mother, Maria Quinto-Collins, had been holding him to her chest with her hands clasped around his back for a few minutes and “he had already started to calm down.” 

Rather than to try and understand the situation, when the officers came, they immediately grabbed Quinto from his mother’s arms and attempted to subdue him by kneeling on his neck. 

Quinto was taken to a local hospital after losing consciousness.

He was pronounced dead three days later.

His mother has managed to record part of the incident using her cell phone.

Video of the fatal arrest taken by Quinto's mother and posted on social media appears to show him lying face down, handcuffed, as blood pours from his mouth. 

He appears non-responsive.

"What happened?" his mother asks, breathless in the video from December 23. 

“Can you take him, please?” she asks officers.

It is unclear what happened before the recording began.

By then, the Antioch police officers had already handcuffed Quinto, but did not stop their assault on the young man and inexplicably began using the George Floyd technique of placing a knee on the back and side of his neck.

They ignored Quinto’s pleas of 'please don't kill me', Burris said.

Since the incident happened 2 months ago, the police have not issued a press release on Quinto’s death. CNN reported that his cause of death is still pending, according to Contra Costa County Sheriff Coroner's office.