A teen is being charged with manslaughter after a Florida cop had a fatal heart attack just moments after arresting him.
Virgilio Aguilar-Mendez, an 18-year-old illegal migrant from Guatemala, retained a civil rights attorney claiming he was wrongfully stopped, leading to the tragic death of St. Johns County Sergeant Michael Kunovich in May, per the New York Post.
Aguilar-Mendez, who entered the US illegally through the southern border at the age of 17 last year, had reportedly made his way to St. Augustine to work on farms, as per court documents.
The veteran officer, 52-year-old Sergeant Kunovich, first noticed the laborer in the parking lot of a Super 8 motel around 9:00PM on May 16.
During a news conference last month, St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick explained, "He checked out with him to simply say: 'Hey, why are you on this property trespassing?' That was a simple thing, a simple task."
Bodycam footage of their interaction revealed Aguilar-Mendez's limited English, with Kunovich asking for identification and name. The situation escalated when Kunovich attempted to check him for a weapon, and Aguilar-Mendez, fearing deportation, appeared to resist.
Despite being tased multiple times and additional officers arriving to subdue him, Aguilar-Mendez continued to resist on the ground. According to an arrest report, he grabbed Sergeant Kunovich's taser and later armed himself with a folding pocket knife, which had to be forcibly removed by deputies.
Following the incident, Kunovich collapsed at the scene from a heart attack and later died at a local hospital.
Aguilar-Mendez is now charged with aggravated manslaughter of an officer and resisting arrest with violence, and he remains behind bars without bond.
In a motion seeking a bail package, his prior public defender revealed that Aguilar-Mendez lived in a room at the Super 8 with other migrants and was on the phone with his mother when Kunovich approached him.
The lawyer stated that Aguilar-Mendez did not know why he was being stopped and called out for his family during the struggle.
Philip Arroyo, the migrant's new attorney, argued that his client's civil rights were violated, labeling the situation a "grave injustice."
Sheriff Hardwick, however, has defended his officers' actions, stating that Aguilar-Mendez's refusal to comply sparked the tragedy.
During Kunovich's funeral in May in Jacksonville, officers from Florida and beyond paid their respects, including his two young sons.
Michael Kunovich Jr., his son, expressed: "What many don’t know is how much we say we were proud of him, his hard work, and his moral compass. He had the extraordinary ability to come home after a long shift and be Dad," per the Florida Times-Union.
He continued: "Go rest high on that mountain, be our guardian angel, and guide Max and I to serve like you did."
