A Florida sheriff’s deputy accused of Tasing a gas-soaked biker during a botched arrest — and sparking a fire that burned more than 75% of the man’s body three years ago — has been acquitted of negligence charges.
Osceola County Deputy David Crawford tackled victim Jean Barreto at a Wawa gas station after Barreto had allegedly run red lights, ridden on the sidewalk and sped into oncoming traffic before stopping to refuel on Feb. 27, 2022, local reports said.
Crawford shouted to his partners to turn off the gas pump during the caught-on-camera encounter, which knocked Barreto’s bike over and soaked him with gasoline.
Prosecutors said that’s when Crawford raised his Taser, fired the weapon and ignited a blaze that torched Barreto from neck to ankles.
They charged the deputy with culpable negligence for the act. But on Friday, a jury declared him not guilty after a week-long trial, according to WESH 2 in Orlando.
The two sides traded barbs throughout the proceedings, with the state saying Crawford’s actions were both dangerous and inappropriate while the defense claimed he was simply doing his job, the outlet said.
In a surprising move, Crawford took the stand in his own defense Thursday and said he was scared the then-26-year-old Barreto had a gun on him — and was willing to use it.
He also said Barreto — who was actually unarmed — would have hurt more people if he’d gotten away.
But prosecutors blamed the cop for escalating the situation through the chaotic way he approached the biker and said he himself put people at risk. “There is no need for one man to run, like a cowboy, and tackle someone off a motorcycle filling up with gas,” one prosecutor said during closing arguments. “The end result of this was foreseeable from the fact that he walked across that parking lot.”
The defense claimed Crawford didn’t actually shoot the Taser, but it went off on its own when he threw it to the side.
“Every single witness, every single video conclusively shows you that he never intentionally discharged that Taser,” Crawford’s attorney said at the trial’s end.
When Crawford was asked if he remembered the Taser going off either in his hand or after he tossed it, the deputy simply replied, “I have no memory of turning the safety off.”
He also said he wouldn’t have done anything differently during the arrest — even with the horrific second- and third-degree burns that covered most of Barreto’s body.
The only parts of him that weren’t torched were his masked face, gloved hands and his feet, his attorney, Mark NeJame, said at the time.“He barely survived,” the attorney said, adding that Barreto racked up $7 million in medical expenses.
“His life will always be in jeopardy because of the massive amount of scar tissue and damage that happened to his body,” he continued.
“If he was driving recklessly, charge him with reckless driving, but you don’t almost kill somebody and set them on fire,” he said. “You cannot have law enforcement running amok. They’re supposed to be our protectors, not our ignitors.”
Defense attorneys claimed the fiery incident was an accident, and that Crawford had every right to chase Barreto, who had been riding with a group of reckless bikers on State Road 417, the network said.
“We were convinced from the very beginning that my client was not convinced of these charges,” attorney Michael Barber said after the verdict, CNN reported.“We are very happy with the result we got here today. My client’s relieved. I’m relieved. We are just very happy the jury reached the right conclusion.”
The prosecutor, Ryan Williams, thanked the jury for its work and said it was “their decision to determine if a law enforcement officer’s use of force is reasonable.”
Barreto initially faced a litany of charges from the event, including eluding law enforcement, reckless driving and resisting an officer without violence, CNN said.
But his attorneys said authorities never lodged the charges.Crawford’s employer, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, said in a statement that it respected the “wisdom of the jury’s decision.”
“We strongly believe in the transparency and accountability of law enforcement,” the statement said. “We thank the jury for the time and attention they dedicated to this case.”
The agency put Crawford on administrative leave with pay after the encounter. It’s not clear what his employment status is now.
But even as the criminal case ends, the civil suit process is just beginning, according to another Barreto attorney, Albert Yonfa.
His client will pursue damages because of the “reckless, excessive use of force, which was strengthened by the evidence brought forth in this criminal trial,” Yonfa said.
