An illegal alien and sergeant with the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office in Florida is accused of starting the incident. Following Michael Kunovich’s death, he filed a federal civil rights lawsuit alleging that he was disabled because of his limited ability to speak English.
As reported by Breitbart News, Virgilio Aguilar Mendez, a 19-year-old illegal alien from Guatemala, was arrested in May 2023 and charged with resisting a police officer with violence and manslaughter in connection with Kunovic’s death. was indicted for.
This week, Aguilar Mendez’s attorneys filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Kunovich’s estate, Lt. Gov. Jose Jimenez (who also worked on the case), and St. Johns County, alleging that their client He claimed to be disabled because he could not speak English or Spanish. As a result, his rights were denied under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.
of florida times union report:
Aguilar Mendez’s native language is MamAccording to the filing, it is neither Spanish nor English. His disability meant he had limited understanding of English and Spanish, and he was denied an on-site interpreter. and to make sure Jimenez understood his Miranda rights at the sheriff’s office before being questioned. [Emphasis added]
The complaint does not state that Jimenez was questioned in Spanish. This is mentioned in arrest documents, but Mumm notes that “it may have a different structure when translated into other languages, such as Spanish or English.” [Emphasis added]
Aguilar Mendez’s lawyer said he was a victim of racism and police brutality by Kunovich.
“Mr. Virgilio was a victim of police brutality. He was a victim of racial profiling,” his lawyer said. “He was the victim of a violation of his Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment rights. Those responsible for this abuse will be held accountable.”
According to police, on May 19, Kunovich legally attempted to pat down Aguilar Mendez as she sat outside a closed store. Instead of complying, Aguilar-Mendez tried to run away from Kunovic.
Aguilar Mendez continued to resist when other officers got involved. Kunovich eventually fell to the ground and struggled with Aguilar Mendez, who tried to wrest the officer’s Taser from his body. The struggle lasted more than six minutes.
Aguilar-Mendez was then handcuffed and pulled out a pocket knife, which was quickly taken away. After a struggle with Aguilar-Mendez, Kunovich fell to the ground. Paramedics performed life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead after being transported to a nearby hospital.
Aguilar Mendez is an illegal immigrant from Guatemala. He arrived at the US-Mexico border in 2023 and was subsequently released into the US. Aguilar Mendez worked on a farm and sent money back to Guatemala, his lawyer said.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
