OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — An Osceola County Sheriff's Office deputy is facing a misdemeanor charge in connection to a fire that erupted at a gas station in February during an attempted arrest in Orange County.
While trying to arrest 26-year-old Jean Barretto at a WaWa gas station, it was revealed that resistance during the arrest caused a dirtbike to tip over and gasoline to spill out of the unfastened gas cap, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez explained during a Thursday news conference.
A taser which was set aside to avoid using it around the gas was picked up by Deputy David Crawford who reportedly said to Barretto, "You're about to get tased dude." Immediately after, flames erupted from the taser.
Lopez explains the taser log shows there was a trigger pull matching the timing of the incident, ultimately confirming the taser started the fire.
Video from chopper shows deputies with a fire extinguisher helping Barretto who was engulfed in flames, and Lopez says law enforcement put out the fire on Crawford after.
Following an investigation into the incident, the sheriff's office filed a charge with the state attorney's office on Crawford for couplable negligence.
“Under the law, his actions were reckless and held to such a disregard of human life that it rises to the level of probable cause for culpable negligence," Lopez explains.
The sheriff also confirmed four charges for Barretto: fleeing and attempting to elude law enforcement, reckless driving, three wheelies offense and resisting an officer without violence.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Barretto has been undergoing intense treatment in the hospital. He will reportedly be placed in a medically induced coma ahead of treatment at Orlando Health.
But what exactly caused the injuries that day in February? Lopez explained to reporters Thursday what went down Feb. 27 leading up to an eruption of flames at a WaWa gas station.
At around 5 p.m., the sheriff's office received multiple 911 calls of two Hispanic men on blue dirt bikes pulling guns out and pointing them at people, according to Lopez. A recording of a 911 call made played out loud revealed a man claiming to have had a firearm pointed at him that day.
As deputies were responding to the scene, Deputy Chris Koffinas saw Barretto on a blue dirt bike that matched the description of the caller, Lopez explains. He went on to say Barretto was seen to be driving "erratically" with no tag on his bike.
While Koffinas tried to conduct a traffic stop with lights on, Lopez said Barretto drove away from the deputy, which was caught on video from the helicopter flying overhead. The deputy didn't start to chase him for the safety of everyone else, according to the sheriff.
While driving, the chopper caught Barretto running approximately 13 red lights, popping six wheelies, driving on grass sidewalks and driving in the opposite direction of the road around five times, Lopez explains.
As the chopper continues to follow Barretto with a bird's-eye view, he eventually crosses into Orange County and the neighboring agency was reportedly alerted of an ongoing pursuit.
Barretto eventually pulls off into a WaWa gas station to refuel, and deputies took this time to try to detain him.
When Crawford approached the man with two other deputies, an altercation occurred and Barretto's dirtbike tipped off with gasoline spilling out of the unfastened gas cap, Lopez explained.
The sheriff goes on to say that Crawford was aware of the gas because there is a body cam video of him saying, "Kill the pump, kill the pump. Gas." A taser was set aside, with gasoline on it, which eventually Lopez says Crawford picked up and pointed at the man saying, "You're about to get tased dude."
After saying that, fire erupted and both the deputy and driver were engulfed in flames, according to the sheriff.
The fire was eventually put out.
No firearm was found by law enforcement, Lopez explains. The Orlando Sentinel reports that Mark NeJame, a lawyer representing Barretto, told reporters Wednesday that his client was unarmed and doesn't have a criminal history.
Watch the full news conference with Sheriff Lopez down below.
