Antioch Police Officer caught on video punching homeless woman during encampment sweep before July 4th
Admits she tried to bite him, first
UPDATE: Antioch Police Department issues statement
By Allen D. Payton
A video posted on Monday afternoon, July 6, 2026, on the Facing Homelessness in Antioch & Community Connection’s Facebook page, shows a homeless woman getting punched in the head by an Antioch Police Officer, identified as Community Engagement Officer Nicholas Shipilov. She was struggling with him and another officer in Waldie Plaza as they were clearing the area in preparation for the Independence Day Celebration planned for Saturday, July 4th.
The post by local homeless advocate Nicole Gardner, Founder and Director of Facing Homelessness organization, is entitled, “Video of APD Community Engagement Officer Nicholas Shipilov punching an unhoused woman having a mental health crisis in the face during an illegal encampment sweep.”
In the video she says there was a homeless encampment sweep on July 1st that included both Waldie Plaza, which is a City park, and the railroad tracks. She said the APD Community Engagement Team and City’s Code Enforcement Officers were arresting the residents and telling them, “Ya’ll gotta go.” www.facebook.com/reel/1025054446734808
When asked by the person recording the video, “Why did you do that?” the officer said, “She bit me.”
Gardener referred to a previous video she posted on July 1st on the same page of her interaction with both City staff and homeless residents in Waldie Plaza. In it you can hear her asking if the residents were given proper notification. www.facebook.com/reel/880300225122640
The woman nicknamed Frenchie, was arrested.
In addition, a group of homeless residents were encamped last week on the steps and in front of City Hall. Lt. Michael Mellone said they were cleared out in time for the holiday activities which took place on W. 2nd Street, in the City Hall parking lot and in Waldie Plaza. The station for the parade judges, which included Gardner, was located on the sidewalk directly in front of City Hall. He said they had to be given a 48-hour notice.
The encampment was reported as a protest by both NBC Bay Area and CBS San Francisco.
When reached for further comment Gardner said about the woman, “She said she did try to bite him, first. She was released from custody this morning. She said her head still hurt. So, we’re going to take her to the hospital after she recovers her personal items from the police department.”
About the officer Gardner, who is also an Antioch Parks and Recreation Commissioner, pointed out, “He was one of the officers who responded to the Angelo Quinto incident. He should have called the Crisis Response Team. They didn’t even call CORE. They need to coordinate better.” However, Waldie Plaza is treated differently.
Questions for Staff, Council
The following questions were emailed to City staff Monday evening, including Chief Joe Vigil, Acting City Manager Ana Cortez, City Attorney Lori Asuncion and PIO Jaden Baird, and again Tuesday afternoon.
“When did the incident occur?
“Was Officer Shipilov the one who punched the woman? If not, what is the officer’s name and is he a member of the Community Engagement Team?
“What is being or will be done about the incident? Will the officer be or has he been disciplined, especially in light of what the Dep’t and City went through and the lawsuits settled last year, and the class action lawsuit that appears to be continuing – Trent Allen, et al?
“Did he explain why it occurred? It appears she tried to bite him on his arm prior to the punch.
“What is the process for clearing homeless encampments?
“Does the 48-hour notice give to residents before removing them from an encampment have to be in writing?”
The same questions were sent to the mayor and council members.
Police Respond
Lt. Gary Lowther shared the following about the matter saying, “She was arrested for battery on a police officer and resisting, delaying and obstructing a peace officer and resisting with violence. The case was presented to the District Attorney’s Office.”
Asked about the officer he said, “Everything is still going through its normal channels of review.”
About the process for clearing homeless encampments Lowther said, “The signage in Waldie Plaza has language for immediate abatement. For other locations there’s a 48-hour notice with a piece of paper. Then they get in touch with CORE who will make contact with those folks during the couple of days.”
“The Crisis Response Team does not go along with Code Enforcement on abatements. It’s strictly enforcement,” he explained. “Public Works contracts out the clean-up and the personal items are stored for a couple of days, anything that isn’t deemed to be hazardous material.”
“BNSF was conducting a separate abatement along their railroad tracks at the same time. We weren’t involved in that,” Lowther stated.
“A press release is expected to be sent out soon,” he added.
Cortez responded later, “We are working on a response for you and will be in touch with you shortly.”
UPDATE: Antioch Police Department 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.
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.
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Please check back later for any additional updates to this report.
the attachments to this post:
An Officer seen punching homeless woman
