Photo courtesy of Mark NeJame
26-year-old Jean Barreto suffered severe burns during a botched arrest by the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office.
An Osceola County deputy has been charged by the local State Attorney’s office with one count of culpable negligence with personal injury, after setting a 26-year-old man on fire at a gas station during an attempted arrest last February, critically injuring him.
The charge, announced by the Office of the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, is considered a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and/or a fine of up to $1,000. It’s the same charge announced by Osceola County sheriff Marcos Lopez last May.
On Feb. 27, 2022, dirt bike rider Jean Barreto suffered severe burns after deputy David Crawford tackled him to the ground at a Wawa gas station, then tased him as Barreto was lying in a pool of gasoline.
The 26-year-old suffered burns on 75% of his body, according to Barreto’s attorney Mark NeJame, but survived. Crawford himself was also injured.
The critical incident occurred after Barreto and other dirt bike riders were chased by deputies for several miles over county lines. The group were accused of violating traffic laws by “popping wheelies” on roads in Orange and Osceola counties, according to the State Attorney’s office.
Osceola County deputies confronted Barreto during a stop at a Wawa in Orange County, and Crawford tackled him as the dirt bike rider was pumping gas. “Get on the ground now,” Crawford repeated, grabbing Barreto, taking him to the ground. “Get on the fucking ground. Don’t move.”
The bike’s gas cap remained open and spilled gasoline onto the ground beneath Barreto and several deputies.
Body camera footage showed Crawford telling other deputies to turn off the gas pump after another deputy, Christopher Koffinas, used a stun gun on Barreto.
Crawford then grabbed a discarded stun gun from another deputy, and announced his intention to tase Barreto before pulling the trigger and igniting the blaze.
Crawford was charged with culpable negligence last year by Sheriff Lopez, stemming from the fact that the deputy used a taser in the presence of flammable materials, which is against OCSO policy.
Lopez also shared that deputies had believed Barreto was armed, based off a description provided by a 911 caller who alleged the group of dirt bike riders were armed.
No weapon was found on Barreto. The “valued FedEx employee” (as his attorney described him last year) has no criminal record and does not have a record of owning a firearm.
The sheriff’s office told the Orlando Sentinel that Crawford is currently on administrative leave. Koffinas, who fired his stun gun at Barreto first, is not facing any charges, according to the Sentinel, although he was reportedly placed on a 40-hour unpaid suspension.
The SAO 9th shared in a news release that Barreto is still recovering from his injuries.
Just a month before the incident last year, the OCSO also came under fire after a deputy fatally shot 20-year-old Jayden Baez at a Target in Kissimmee over stolen Pokemon cards. Two other teens were injured in the incident.
Barreto’s attorney Mark NeJame is also representing Baez’s family in that case. NeJame has previously accused OCSO sheriff Lopez of trying to “deflect responsibility and liability for [the office’s] dangerous and deadly policies.”
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