A Florida deputy charged with Tasering a motorcyclist as he pumped gas during a botched arrest that left them both on fire has been acquitted.
Osceola County Deputy David Crawford was found not guilty of negligence on Friday for the February 2022 incident, reported WESH.
Jean Baretto, who was 26 at the time, was chased by officers after fleeing law enforcement who had responded to a report of a group of recklessly driving motorcyclists.
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 Thursday, telling the jury he feared Baretto had a gun.
Body camera footage showed Crawford approaching the gas pumps where Barreto was filling up his bike before knocking him to the ground.
‘Get off your bike! Now get on the ground,” Crawford shouted in the video as a colleague pulled out his Taser and fired it.
Footage shows gasoline spilling onto the ground after officers did not allow Barreto to close the gas tank before capturing him.
Osceola County Deputy David Crawford (pictured) was found not guilty of negligence for the February 2022 incident
Crawford was charged with tasing a motorcyclist while pumping gas during a botched arrest, leaving them both on fire. Pictured: Flames from the explosion
A second deputy, Christopher Koffinas, used his stun gun on the victim, at which point Crawford yelled at backup 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 and warned, “You’re about to get tasered again, dude,” and then fired the taser.
Moments later, the taser can be heard on video and flames erupt, causing Crawford to roll on the ground and scream for about 30 seconds as he bursts into flames.
During the trial, Crawford’s attorneys said he did not intentionally deploy the taster, but that it went off when he tossed it aside.
While on the stand, the deputy testified that he has “no memory of turning off the safety.”
Prosecutors argued that Crawford escalated the situation and endangered even more lives by the way he approached the situation.
‘There is no need for one man to run out like a cowboy and tackle someone from a motorcycle full of gas. The end result of this was foreseeable by the fact that he walked through that parking lot,” said a prosecutor.
Jean Baretto (pictured), who was 26 at the time, suffered burns covering almost three-quarters of his body
After Crawford was acquitted of the charges, his lawyer said: “We were convinced from the outset that my client was not convinced of these allegations. We are very happy with the result we achieved here today. My client is relieved. I’m relieved. We are just very happy that the jury came to the right conclusion.’
Crawford was suspended after the incident and it is unclear what his status with the sheriff is after 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 is important for the public to know that the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office initiated this criminal investigation against its own employee, the same way we would for any other criminal case against any other suspect.”
Barreto’s lawyer Albert Yonfa said CNN he plans to file a civil lawsuit “for the reckless, excessive use of force, which was amplified by the evidence presented in this criminal trial.”
At the time of the incident, Sheriff Marcos López said police believed Barretto fit the description of a man on a dirt bike who allegedly pointed a gun at a driver, but he was never charged.