Antioch Police Department issues statement on July 1 Use-of-Force incident during Waldie Plaza Encampment Cleanup
By Lt. Gary Lowther #4032, Antioch Police Field Services Division
On July 1, 2026, at about 9:35 a.m., the City of Antioch conducted a scheduled encampment abatement and cleanup at Waldie Plaza, located at 206 G St. Waldie Plaza is posted with City of Antioch signage advising that the area is subject to immediate abatement pursuant to Antioch Municipal Code § 5-1 and Penal Code § 647(e).
At the same time, BNSF Railway was conducting a separate encampment abatement on its adjacent railroad right-of-way. During that operation, several individuals who had been on BNSF property moved into the Waldie Plaza area.
Antioch Police officers were on scene to provide security and support while City Code Enforcement personnel and a contracted cleanup crew carried out the abatement.
Officers are routinely assigned to these operations to ensure the safety of City employees and contracted workers. Earlier this year, a contracted cleanup employee was assaulted while conducting a similar operation.
During the July 1 cleanup, a 41-year-old woman who had been on the adjacent BNSF property confronted members of the City’s contracted cleanup crew. Officers intervened and gave the woman repeated verbal commands to move away from the cleanup crew so the operation could safely continue. Despite warnings, she refused to comply with officers’ lawful commands.
As officers arrested the woman for interfering with their duties, she bit the shoulder of one of the arresting officers. The officer responded with a physical strike to stop the assault and placed her under arrest. She was taken into custody and later booked into the Contra Costa County Detention Facility on charges of resisting, delaying, or obstructing a law enforcement officer as well as resisting a law enforcement officer with violence. See related article.
As part of protocol, information about this incident is currently or in process of being submitted to the Contra Costa County District Attorney’s Office. Our DOJ consultant and the Antioch Police Department Internal Affairs Division have been advised of the incident. The department is in the process of assigning this incident to an independent investigator for review. As this is an active investigation, the officer involved will be placed on paid administrative leave.
Chief Vigil is releasing the following statement at this time:
“Any use of force by our officers is taken seriously. This incident will be fully reviewed under our use of force policy, state law, and our department’s current independent oversight framework.”
Anyone with information related to this incident is encouraged to contact the Antioch Police Department Dispatch Center at (925) 778-2441.
Additional information or updates will be released by the Investigations Bureau as appropriate.
the attachments to this post:
APD Officer seen punching homeless woman
