Florida deputy found not guilty 2 years after botched arrest resulted in an explosion that left a suspect with severe burns

By Amanda Musa, CNN

(CNN) — A Florida deputy has been found not guilty of culpable negligence more than two years after being accused of deploying his Taser on a suspect at a gas station resulting in an explosion that left the man with burns over much of his body.

Osceola County deputy David Crawford was one of several law enforcement officers attempting to arrest Jean Barreto on February 27, 2022. Barreto, who was 26 at the time, matched the description of a suspect reportedly brandishing a gun and committing traffic violations with a group of people on dirt bikes, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez said at a news conference immediately after the incident. Barreto was left with burns covering 75% of his body after investigators said Crawford triggered his Taser igniting a pool of gasoline.

During a weeklong trial, prosecutors argued Crawford dangerously and inappropriately tased Barreto, causing him to burst into flames, according to reporting from CNN affiliate WESH. Meanwhile, the defense argued Crawford was innocent, saying the entire incident was an accident. Crawford took the stand Thursday, testifying that he was attempting to stop Barreto, whom he believed had a gun.

“We were convinced from the very beginning that my client was not guilty of these charges,” said Crawford’s attorney, Michael Barber. “My client’s relieved. I’m relieved. We are just very happy that the jury reached the right conclusion.”

Prosecuting attorney Ryan Williams said it’s the jury’s “decision to determine if a law enforcement officer’s use of force is reasonable. We are just grateful that they took as much time as they did.”

Years after being hospitalized for the burns he sustained, Barreto is still hurting emotionally and physically, according to his attorney, Albert Yonfa. Barreto is also innocent, Yonfa said.

“One of the most significant things to come out of this trial was the evidence that the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office knew, nearly ten minutes before the encounter at the gas station, that Jean was not the suspect they were looking for,” Yonfa said in a statement to CNN Saturday.

“Yet the department continued a bloodthirsty pursuit of Jean Barreto,” Yonfa added. “This is consistent with their zero-tolerance policy and with their practices and procedures.”

Barreto initially faced several charges stemming from the incident, including fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement, reckless driving and resisting an officer without violence. However, Yonfa says charges were never filed.

Despite the outcome of the trial, Barreto 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,” Yonfa said.

The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment regarding claims that deputies were searching for the wrong suspect. However, the sheriff’s office provided a statement to CNN on Saturday regarding Crawford’s acquittal, saying it respects the jury’s decision.

“The jury found Deputy Crawford not guilty of any crime and we respect the wisdom of the jury’s decision,” the statement 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.”

Crawford was placed on administrative leave with pay following the incident. CNN has reached out to the sheriff’s office for more information regarding his employment following the not-guilty verdict.

How the arrest unfolded

Surveillance video from the Wawa gas station in Orange County, where the incident occurred, shows Barreto pulling in on his dirt bike. Moments later, Crawford sprints into view from the right side of the screen and tackles Barreto from behind, knocking over the bike and – according to Barreto’s attorneys – causing gas to spill from the pump. At least three Osceola County Sheriff’s vehicles surrounded the pump.

As more deputies approach, an explosion occurs near the bike, the surveillance video shows.

The most likely cause of the fire was “an electric discharge” from a “department-issued taser device” deployed by deputies, according to a report from the Bureau of Fire, Arson, and Explosives Investigations, provided by Barreto’s attorneys following the incident.

Crawford had picked up a Taser that had been discarded by another officer, according to Lopez, and “with the Taser in his hand, the fire ignites. According to the Taser log, there was a trigger pulled that coincides with the timing.”

Lopez claimed in 2022 Crawford was aware that gasoline was in the immediate area. “We know this because he says on bodycam, ‘kill the pump, kill the pump, gas!’” Lopez said during a news conference at the time.

Based on transcripts of logs from that night, deputies requested medical assistance for two officers burned on-scene, but not for Barreto, Yonfa said in 2022.

“They had Jean Barreto in handcuffs, skin filleted on the ground, and never called 911 about him,” Yonfa said. “It was the EMS on the scene that called for a third vehicle to assist Jean.”

The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to these specific allegations at the time, but during a news conference, Lopez said Barreto received assistance immediately after his body was “engulfed by flames.”

Another deputy on the scene “immediately grabs a fire extinguisher and immediately goes to the suspect,” the sheriff said. “The fire on the suspect is put out prior to putting the fire out on deputy Crawford.”

As to why Osceola County deputies were attempting an arrest in Orange County, Lopez cited the fresh pursuit doctrine, which allows law enforcement to follow and apprehend a suspect in a different county if they notify law enforcement in that county.

CNN’s Andi Babineau contributed to this report.

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