The defense attorney representing an illegal alien accused of causing St. Johns County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Michael Kunovich’s death, says his client is a victim of “police brutality” as well as racism.
As Breitbart News reported, 18-year-old illegal alien Virjilio Aguilar-Mendez of Guatemala was arrested and charged in May of this year with resisting an officer with violence and felony murder in connection to Kunovich’s death.
This week, the felony murder charge was replaced with a single charge of manslaughter. The illegal alien’s defense attorney, Phillip Arroyo, told local media that he hopes to file a civil lawsuit claiming racism and police brutality on Kunovich’s part.
“We believe this is a grave injustice for what seems to be so far an act of police brutality and potential civil rights violations,” Arroyo told News4Jax.
“… Hispanics in general, those who don’t speak English, are victims of police brutality or civil rights violations and sometimes we never hear that story because of the language barrier,” Arroyo said. “And I think that, in this scenario, it’s very important to shed light on what’s going on here.”
According to police, on May 19, Kunovich lawfully attempted to pat down Aguilar-Mendez while he was sitting outside of a closed business. Aguilar-Mendez, instead of complying, tried to flee from Kunovich. When other officers got involved, Aguilar-Mendez continued resisting.
Eventually, Kunovich was on the ground in a struggle with Aguilar-Mendez who attempted to grab the officer’s taser off his person. The struggle lasted for more than six minutes. Afterward, Aguilar-Mendez was handcuffed but pulled out a pocketknife which was quickly taken from him.
Following the struggle with Aguilar-Mendez, Kunovich collapsed on the ground. First responders administered lifesaving measures but he was pronounced dead after being rushed to a nearby hospital.
St. Johns County Sgt. Michael Kunovich with his two sons. (Photo via Dignity Memorial)
Aguilar-Mendez is an illegal alien from Guatemala. He arrived at the United States-Mexico border last year and was subsequently released into the United States. According to his attorney, Aguilar-Mendez had been working on a farm and sending money back to Guatemala.
Aguilar-Mendez remains in St. Johns County Jail without bail. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have requested custody of the illegal alien should local law enforcement release him at any time.
At Kunovich’s funeral, his oldest son Michael Jr. called his father “a kind, generous, and intelligent man full of common sense and humor.”
“Dad, your shift was over way too soon. Go rest high on that mountain, be our guardian angel, and guide Max and I to serve as you did. I will always love you,” Michael Jr. said.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
