A Florida deputy has been charged with culpable negligence after tasing a man who was pumping gas, setting him on fire and leaving 75% of his body burnt.
According to reports, an Osceola County Deputy named David Crawford was charged with negligent conduct on Thursday (25 May) after a fire at a Wawa petrol station left a man named Jean Barretto Baerga with three-quarters of his body burned.
The entire incident occurred more than a year ago, after the deputy received a report of motorcyclists in the area riding recklessly. The situation escalated after the Florida deputy discovered Baerga at the petrol station, attacked him and arrested him.
Sheriff Marcos López of the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office stated that Baerga was observed running several red lights and driving on the sidewalk, through the lawn and into oncoming traffic before pulling into the Wawa petrol station.
The constable approached Baerga at the petrol station without announcing himself, as captured by the bodycam footage. The officer then tackled the suspect and yelled to his colleagues to switch off the petrol pump.
Deputy Crawford was heard yelling, “Kill the pump! Kill the pump! There’s gas!,” towards another Deputy, Christopher Koffinas, who used his stun gun to tase Baerga.
Things moved so quickly, Baerga ended up getting drenched in gasoline and then Deputy Crawford raised his own taser and warned the suspect, “You’re gonna get tased again, dude!” And sure enough, Deputy Crawford fired his weapon and ignited the gasoline, leading to an explosion at the pump that set fire to Baerga.
Approximately seventy-five percent of the suspect’s body sustained second- and third-degree burns. His attorney, Mark NeJame, also stated that his face, hands, and feet were the only portions of his body not affected.
His legal team is actively pursing a lawsuit against the Sheriff’s Office in an effort to pay for his medical expenses, which total more than $7 million.
NeJame said, “They’re going to cost the taxpayers in Osceola County millions. There should be consequences, because how else do we stop this type of activity for happening again?”
He added, “He barely survived. His life will always be in jeopardy because of the massive amount of scar tissue and damage that happened to his body. He’s doing his best to get through his life with these cards that have been dealt to him. If he was driving recklessly, charge him with reckless driving, but you don’t almost kill somebody and set them on fire. You cannot have law enforcement running amok. They’re supposed to be our protectors, not our ignitors.”
Since the incident, Deputy Crawford has been placed on administrative leave. Meanwhile, Deputy Koffinas reportedly received a 40-hour unpaid suspension for firing his stun gun, and won’t face any criminal charges.
