Family members of a Navy veteran who died in 2020 after a police officer pressed a knee to his neck for nearly five minutes while he was in a mental health crisis have settled a federal lawsuit against the Northern California city of Antioch for $7.5 million, their attorneys said Wednesday.
After Angelo Quinto’s death, his family also pushed for reforms that led to city and state changes in how law enforcement agencies respond to people who are in a mental health crisis.
John Burris, one of the attorneys, said in a statement that while no amount of money can compensate for Quinto’s death, “his family is to be commended for their unwavering commitment to improving the relationship between the community and Antioch police.”
The lawsuit alleged that Antioch police officers used excessive force when restraining Quinto. It named as defendants the city of Antioch, then-police Chief Tammany Brooks and four officers who responded to a 911 call from Quinto’s family.
And the worst part? The money won’t come out of the police department’s budget, it’ll come out of education, housing, recreation, etc.
Yeah. Everybody pays for it, but the guilty cops pay as much as every other city resident despite being at fault.
Malpractice for cops should be something anybody who touches or is affected by a city budget advocates for, as unplanned expenditures for several million may mean cutting essential programs and staff.
Apparently, the average citizen pays about a half million in taxes in a lifetime. So this means 15 people spent their entire life being honest taxpayers, so these cops could be a piece of shit.
Glad the family got paid at least. Wild that in 2020 these cops didn’t have cams yet; not exactly a rural area.
Seems like they might as well do it again if they want. Why not?