Angelo Quinto: Mother of young man killed by police sobs as California bans use of ‘prone restraint’ with law named after son

‘I was watching it the whole time. I was there’

The mother of a young man who was killed by police after being placed in a so-called prone restraint, erupted in tears after California banned such holds.

California governor Gavin Newsom signed into law a series of police reform measures, aimed to do everything from limit the use of rubber bullets during protests, to requiring an officer to intervene if they see a colleague using excessive force.

One of the measures signed, AB 490, or Angelo’s Law, was named after 30-year-old Angelo Quinto, an Asian-American man who died after police allegedly knelt on his neck and placed him in a prone restraint, after being called by the young man’s family when he suffered a mental health episode in December 2020.

On Thursday, the young man’s mother, Sandra Quinto Collins, broke out in tears and was hugged by the governor, when she attended the signing ceremony in a park in Los Angeles

“We are in a crisis of trust when it comes to law enforcement right now, across the state, across the nation,” said California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta. “We’re delivering concrete solutions from banning dangerous holds that lead to asphyxia to multiple other mechanisms that improve accountability and oversight and transparency.”

The death of the young man, who had wanted to join the navy, was highlighted by The Independent earlier this year, on the anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. Quinto was one of 426 people killed by police in the US, in the 12 month after Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in May 2020.

In May, Quinto’s mother recalled how she had watched her son suffer a lethal injury.

“I was watching it the whole time. I was there,” she said. “I saw everything unfold in front of my eyes in our bedroom.”

On Friday, the young man’s stepfather, Robert Collins, said the signing of the law had triggered a mixture of emotions for the family.

On one hand it had brought up the sadness associated with the young man’s death, while the family also had some satisfaction that his loss may not be entirely in vain.

“If Angelo’s death means that others do not die in that way, that is a positive aspect,” said Mr Collins, speaking from the city of Antioch.

One of the members of the California legislature who has championed several bills pushing police reform, is former police officer Mike Gipson, a Democrat who represents the state’s 64th district, that includes parts of south Los Angeles and the city of Compton.

Last year, he was behind a measure that banned the use of so-called chokeholds.

“I want to thank Governor Newsom for stepping up to the plate yet again and standing up for what is right,” Mr Gipson said in a statement.

“AB 490 still allows officers to protect themselves in life-threatening situations, but it does not allow them to cut off anyone’s airway.”

He added: “The circumstances of Angelo Quinto’s death are a stark parallel to George Floyd’s, which both exposed loopholes in use-of-force policies. Family, justice is here.”

Additional reporting by Associated Press