Florida sheriffs deputy whose Taser turned gasoline-soaked biker into fireball found not guilty

A Florida sheriff’s deputy accused of Tasing a gas-soaked biker during a botched arrest — and sparking a fire that burned more than 75% of the man’s body three years ago — has been acquitted of negligence charges.Osceola County Deputy David Crawford tackled victim Jean Barreto at a Wawa gas station after Barreto had allegedly run red lights, ridden on the sidewalk and sped into oncoming traffic before stopping to refuel on Feb.27, 2022, local reports said.Crawford shouted to his partners to turn off the gas pump during the caught-on-camera encounter, which knocked Barreto’s bike over and soaked him with gasoline.Prosecutors said that’s when Crawford raised his Taser, fired the weapon and ignited a blaze that torched Barreto from neck to ankles.They charged the deputy with culpable negligence for the act.

But on Friday, a jury declared him not guilty after a week-long trial, according to WESH 2 in Orlando.The two sides traded barbs throughout the proceedings, with the state saying Crawford’s actions were both dangerous and inappropriate while the defense claimed he was simply doing his job, the outlet said.In a surprising move, Crawford took the stand in his own defense Thursday and said he was scared the then-26-year-old Barreto had a gun on him — and was willing to use it.He also said Barreto — who was actually unarmed — would have hurt more people if he’d gotten away.But prosecutors blamed the cop for escalating the situation through the chaotic way he approached the biker and said he himself put people at risk.

 “There is no need for one man to run, like a cowboy, and tackle someone off a motorcycle filling up with gas,” one prosecutor said during closing arguments.“The end result of this was foreseeable from the fact that he walked across that parking lot.”The defense claimed Crawford didn’t actually shoot the Taser, but it went off on its own when he threw it to the side.“Every single witness, every single video conclusivel...