The case of a young Guatemalan who is responsible for the death of a police officer during his brutal arrest

Virgilio Aguilar MendezAn 18-year-old Guatemalan Mayan Indian has been held without bail in Florida since May of last year, after one of the officers involved in a botched arrest died.

Aguilar, who does not understand English or Spanish, was charged vehement carnage And Resisting Arrest.

The case has raised alarm bells among human rights organizations as serious charges could be filed against him Imprisonment up to 30 years.

Last Friday, a St. Johns County judge declared the Guatemalan immigrant “not competent to proceed to trial” due to his “limited Spanish and English speaking.”

The incident happened on the night of May 19, when Aguilar was walking down a street in Jacksonville, Florida while talking to his father on the phone. Agent at that time Michael Paul KunovichA St. Johns County sergeant deemed him “suspicious,” according to his body camera footage.

Kunovich began to give orders to the young man, who told him several times that he did not understand English. The sergeant shouted to him what he was doing, where he lived. Aguilar told him he worked in the field, apologized to the officer and pointed to the hotel where he was staying.

The officer tried to search his pockets, leading to an eight-minute standoff in which The young man was thrown to the ground and immobilized By two other agents who applied The Taser shocks several times.

In the video, Aguilar is heard repeatedly saying in Spanish: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He also says “family” several times and, in response to commands, repeats that he does not understand or speak English.

then Kunovich collapsed at the scene and was taken to hospital where he died. The medical examiner ruled Died of natural causes.

Despite this medical verdict, the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office and the State’s Attorney’s Office of Florida’s 7th Judicial Circuit charged Aguilar with aggravated murder of a police officer.

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) criticized the judicial process conducted in Florida against Aguilar, calling the charge “premature and unjust” given the circumstances surrounding the dispute.

“We should not blame this young man for that death. Excessive force was the goal by the police and group tactics by other agents who arrived at the scene,” LULAC president Domingo Garcia warned in the statement.

Garcia said the action taken against Aguilar Mendez by three police officers was “disgusting”, while There was no credible suspicion that he had committed any crime.

Migrants also face detention orders from immigration authorities for being undocumented. Elisio Santana, director of ALUC Florida, blames Florida’s new anti-immigrant law SB-1718, which has “empowered many Hispanics to be viewed as criminals and undesirables.”

Judge R. Lee Smith’s ruling ordered Guatemala Undergoes treatment and monitoring in an appropriate facility “To determine if he has enough learning ability to go to trial.”

At a Dec. 22 hearing, the judge heard the opinions of forensic psychologist Yanis Castillo and neuropsychologist Yolanda Leon, who explained how difficult it was to communicate with Aguilar, “mostly because He speaks a very different language from Ma’am and also has problems with Spanish.“, he reviewed Florida Times-Union.

According to the judgment, Aguilar must receive Behavioral health care (SMA Healthcare) in the Volusia County Jail and ” Prescription psychiatric drugs“

“Within 60 days or at any time the SMA Administrator or his or her designee determines that the defendant has regained competency to proceed, he or she shall file a report with the court in accordance with the Florida Statutes and Rules of Criminal Procedure as applicable in Florida,” the ruling states. is

Rosemary Peeples, the young man’s lawyer, said the Mayan-Guatemalan Center could provide help in the case.