A Florida sheriff’s deputy avoided criminal charges after this scary encounter went wrong

Police have to make tough life-or-death decisions on the job. 

One deputy nearly lost everything after trying to nab a criminal. 

And a Florida sheriff’s deputy avoided criminal charges after this scary encounter went wrong. 

Florida sheriff’s deputy ignites criminal pumping gas with his Taser 

Osceola County, Florida Sheriff’s Deputy David Crawford was in pursuit of suspect Jean Barreto after he ran two red lights and drove on the sidewalk on a dirt bike. 

Barreto drove into oncoming traffic to turn into a Wawa gas station to fill up on February 27, 2022. 

Crawford tried to take Barreto by surprise by tackling him while he was pumping his gas so he could not get away because he believed he was armed. 

“I didn’t want him to have the chance to have any ability to pull a firearm or flee on the motorcycle,” Crawford said. 

Barreto’s bike had been knocked down, and gas was still pumping onto the ground. 

Osceola County Sheriff’s Deputy Christopher Koffinas used his stun gun on Barreto while he was on the ground. 

Crawford called for someone to turn off the gas pumps. 

Koffinas dropped the Taser on the ground. 

“You’re gonna get Tased again, dude,” Crawford told Barreto. 

Crawford used the Taser and the gasoline ignited on the ground which burned 75% of Barreto’s body from the neck down. 

Law enforcement discovered that Barreto was not armed. 

Sheriff’s deputy charged after biker goes up in flames 

Prosecutors charged Crawford with misdemeanor culpable negligence for starting the fire that burned Barreto. 

Crawford was accused of being reckless with his actions during the arrest at the gas station. 

Assistant State Attorney Ryan Williams asked him why he did not take other actions to arrest Barreto. 

Crawford testified that he was told someone on a bike matching the description of Barreto was armed so he thought he had to take him by surprise to save lives. 

He said that he was trained to assume that a suspect fleeing police like Barreto was armed. 

Detective Keila Ruiz testified that two suspected gunmen were on green dirt bikes with one wearing a half black helmet. 

Barretto was on a blue dirt bike with a red helmet. 

The prosecution asked if Barreto was identified as one of the suspected gunmen. 

“They were unsure if that was the exact suspect, but they had charges on that suspect for fleeing,” Ruiz stated. 

Ruiz testified that Crawford was justified in his pursuit of Barreto after he committed a felony by fleeing the police. 

Deputy Keith Mobley, who flew a helicopter chasing the suspects, said that Barreto reached speeds of over 100 miles per hour on his dirt bike. 

“It’s like your GPS in your car that measures your speed when you’re traveling — the camera’s doing the same thing. … As long as you keep the crosshair at the same pace as the motorcycle, that shows you how fast it’s going,” Mobley explained. 

The defense argued that the heat from Barreto’s bike or the first Taser shot from Koffinas could have started the fire. 

“There is no need for one man to run, like a cowboy, and tackle someone off a motorcycle filling up with gas,” prosecutors argued. 

Jurors sided with Crawford and acquitted him of the charges. 

Crawford said that despite everything that happened to him since that fateful night he would not have done anything differently. 

DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this story.