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A 27-year-old Dunkin' employee in Florida accused of fatally punching an elderly customer for using a racial slur was sentenced to two years of house arrest after pleading guilty to felony battery.
Pujols was arrested last May and charged with aggravated manslaughter, records show. He initially pled not guilty but later changed his plea to felony battery, a lesser charge.
Police said Pujols punched 77-year-old Vonelle Cook in the jaw during an altercation at a Tampa Dunkin' location around 1:30 p.m. on May 4.
The two had been arguing after Cook came into the store, complaining about the quality of customer service at the drive-thru, where he had been attempting to order a coffee. Prosecutors said he was aggressive and verbally abusive towards employees, who — per a release from the State Attorney’s Office — described Cook as a “regularly troublesome and abusive” customer.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office; Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Amid Cook’s tirade, Pujols asked his co-workers to call the police and requested that Cook leave the premises, officials said. Cook, who was white and a registered sex offender, called Pugols (who is Black) the N-word. Pujols then “challenged” Cook not to use that racial slur again, a criminal report affidavit stated, but when Cook did, Pujols punched him in the jaw.
Cook fell following the punch, hitting his head on the floor in the process. Bleeding from his head, he was taken to the hospital where he died three days later.
An autopsy report determined that Cook suffered both a skull fracture and brain contusions from the fall.
source: people.com
