A Florida sheriff’s deputy charged for tasering a motorcyclist as he pumped gas during a botched arrest setting them both ablaze has been acquitted.
Osceola County deputy David Crawford was found not guilty of negligence on Friday for the February 2022 incident, reported WESH.
Jean Barretto, who was 26 at the time, had been pursued by deputies after fleeing law enforcement who had responded to a report of a group of motorcyclists riding recklessly.
He survived but was left with burns covering nearly three-quarters of his body after investigators said Crawford shocked him with a taser as he refilled his bike at a Wawa gas station.
Crawford testified in his own defense on Thursday, telling the jury he was fearful Baretto had a gun.
Body camera footage showed Crawford approaching the gas pumps where Barreto was filling his bike before tackling him to the ground.
‘Get off the bike! Get on the ground now,’ Crawford yelled in the video as a fellow officer pulled out his taser and fired it.
Footage shows gasoline pouring onto the ground after the officers failed to allow Barreto to close gas tank before they tackled him.
Osceola County deputy David Crawford (pictured) was found not guilty of negligence for the February 2022 incident
Crawford was charged for tasering a motorcyclist as he pumped gas during a botched arrest setting them both ablaze. Pictured: Flames from the explosion
A second deputy, Christopher Koffinas, used his stun gun on the victim, at which point Crawford shouted at the back-up officers to turn off the gas pump.
‘Kill the pump, kill the pump, there’s gas,’ Crawford said as his fellow officer dropped the taser.
But Crawford then picked it up, warning: ‘You’re about to get tasered again, dude,’ then fires the taser.
Moments later, the taser is heard on video and flames erupt, forcing Crawford to roll around on the ground and scream as he catches fire for about 30 seconds.
During the trial, Crawford’s defense lawyers said he did not intentionally deploy the taser, but it went off when he tossed it to the side.
‘Every single witness, every single video conclusively shows you that he never intentionally discharged that taser,’ his attorney said.
While on the stand, the deputy testified that he has ‘no memory of turning the safety off.’
Prosecutors argued that Crawford escalated the situation and put even more lives in danger with how he approached the situation.
Jean Baretto (pictured), who was 26 at the time, was left with burns covering nearly three-quarters of his body
‘There is no need for one man to run, like a cowboy, and tackle someone off a motorcycle filling up with gas. The end result of this was foreseeable from the fact that he walked across that parking lot,’ a state prosecutor said.
After Crawford was cleared of the charges, his lawyer said, ‘We were convinced from the very beginning that my client was not convinced of these charges. 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.’
Crawford was suspended after the incident and it is unclear what his status with the sheriff’s department is following his acquittal.
‘The jury found Deputy Crawford not guilty of any crime, and we respect the wisdom of the jury’s decision,’ the sheriff’s office said.
‘It’s important for the public to know that the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office initiated this criminal investigation against its own employee in the same way we would for any other criminal case against any other defendant.’
Barreto’s attorney Albert Yonfa told CNN he plans to file a civil lawsuit ‘for the reckless, excessive use of force, which was strengthened by the evidence brought forth in this criminal trial.’
At the time of the incident, Sheriff Marcos López said deputies believed Barretto fit a description of a man on a dirt bike who allegedly pointed a gun at a driver, but he was never charged.
