A man from El Salvador indirectly caused the death of a Florida sheriff's deputy. He had been deported twice before, most recently in September.

During a court hearing on Monday, Francisco Portillo-Fuentes told a federal judge that he wanted to plead guilty to illegally re-entering the United States but claimed that he is innocent regarding the death of Deputy Eric Oliver's.

a Nassau County deputy, Oliver, had been struck fatally by a passing SUV while he continued chasing Portillo-Fuentes on foot.

The Florida Times-Union reported that Portillo-Fuentes was riding in a truck with other men. But while, U.S. Border Patrol agents approached, he ran and deputies chased him.

Mark Rosenblum, Portillo-Fuentes' attorney, told reporters that his client did not do anything intentionally.

The lawyer said, “He didn't do anything. Basically all he did, as I understood what they tell me, is that he ran away. And that to me is just human nature. It's what's called fight or flight” .

Portillo-Fuentes may face up to two years in prison and a $250,000 penalty.

The man was deported in 2011 and again he had been deported shortly after an Aug. 15, 2016, conviction for DUI . He has a third-grade education, and is married. He is the father of three children.

Records showed that Portillo-Fuentes returned to the U.S. by crossing the Rio Grande just three days before Oliver had been killed.

By Prakriti Neogi