Newsom Signs Bill Banning “Excited Delirium” as Cause of Death

On Sunday, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill that now bans the term “excited delirium” as a cause of death in autopsy reports.

Gipson introduced AB 360 after the death of Angelo Quinto which involved the Antioch Police Department.

Back in April, when the bill passed out of the state assembly, Gipson stated:

“This issue was brought to my attention through very tragic circumstances. In 2020, Angelo Quinto, a Filipino-American Navy Veteran dealing with a mental health crisis, stopped breathing while two police officers knelt on his back and neck. Mr. Quinto’s official cause of death was determined to be excited delirium,” said Assemblymember Mike. A Gipson (D-Carson). “That is absolutely absurd. Excited delirium is not a reliable, independent medical or psychiatric diagnosis. There are no diagnostic guidelines, and it is not recognized in the DSM-5, which is the main diagnosis guide for mental health providers. Neither the American Medical Association nor the American Psychiatric Association recognizes this term as a legitimate diagnosis. In fact, the only place where this term is continuously used is to describe deaths that occur in police custody. The term was first used in 1985 to explain a series of sudden deaths of 32 Black Women in police custody. From the beginning, this terminology has been disproportionately applied to communities of color and has only been used in specific contexts pertaining to encounters with law enforcement.”

DA Report: No Evidence of Criminal Offense in Death of Angelo Quinto

The Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office concludes there is no evidence of criminal offense by Antioch Police officers in the death of 30-year-old Angelo Voithugo Quinto.

The District Attorney’s Office says the analysis determined the Antioch Police officers engaged with Quinto in a manner that was lawful and objectively reasonable under the circumstances. Moreover, the report notes that the officers utilized reasonable force during their contact with Quinto.

At the time of the release of their report, the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office stated in their review that An autopsy was performed on December 28th by the Contra Costa County Coroner’s Office. The cause of death was Excited Delirium Syndrome due to drug intoxication, psychiatric conditions, physical exertion, and cardiac arrest.

A toxicology report by the Coroner’s Office showed that Angelo Quinto had the presence of caffeine, Levetriacetam (a therapeutic for adults and children with epilepsy), and Modafinil – a drug to stimulate wakefulness – in his system. The County of Santa Clara Medical Examiner-Coroner reviewed the autopsy findings and agreed with its conclusions.

Below is video of the press conference by former Antioch Police Chief Tammany Brooks who released information on the response along with the 9-1-1 call and audio from the incident.

Previous Stories:

• Antioch City Council Approves “Angelo Quinto Crisis Response Team”
• DA Report: No Evidence of Criminal Offense in Death of Angelo Quinto