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Jean Barreto: Footage shows Florida man driving recklessly before being 'COOKED ALIVE' by cop's taser

Both Barreto and the deputy, who reportedly used the taser at the gas station, face charges, according to Osceola County Sheriff Marcos R Lopez

OSCEOLA COUNTY, FLORIDA: A Florida deputy has been charged with tasing a suspect who was pumping gas, and causing a blaze that burned more than 75 per cent of the man's body on Sunday, February 27. Now, Florida authorities have released a video of a FedEx employee they claim was a "menace on the road" before being set on fire at a gas station during a botched arrest.

Jean Louis Barreto Baerga, 26, has been admitted to a hospital and endured six surgeries since the February 27 incident, in which his counsel claims he was practically "cooked alive." Cops were seeking to arrest Barreto, a biker, who they said was traveling dangerously and had pointed a revolver at other drivers. Barreto's lawyer, Mark NeJame, informed that his client did not commit a crime, has no criminal past, and is now undergoing grueling surgery to preserve his life.

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Both Barreto and the deputy, who reportedly used the taser, face charges, Osceola County Sheriff Marcos R Lopez said during a press conference on Thursday, May 19. Barreto is charged with running and attempting to elude the law, dangerous driving, and nonviolently resisting an officer. The deputy has been charged with culpable neglect. At this time, neither has been arrested. Deputy Crawford, the cop who discharged the taser, will likely face misdemeanor charges of culpable negligence for causing the explosion, according to Osceola County Sheriff Marco López.

On Thursday, Osceola County released a video of Barreto, who authorities reportedly pursued after he allegedly avoided a traffic check set up after a 911 caller said a rider on a blue motorcycle threatened him on the road with a pistol. Lopez showed a video of the February 27 incident on Thursday.

The helicopter film shows a chunk of the 30-minute traffic disturbance allegedly created by Barreto and other motorcycles. The motorcyclists appear to be driving on the wrong side of the road, performing wheelies and halting in the center of the street in front of other vehicles in the footage. The motorcyclists, according to Lopez, ran many red lights, endangering the lives of people in other cars. Authorities also suspected the riders were armed, as 911 callers said.

"Watch this - you'll see what a menace this guy was on the roadway," López told reporters. Cops said they focused on Barreto because he matched the description given by the caller and was riding a blue bike.

"People are just sick of it — sick and tired of this stuff," Lopez stated as the footage was played. Deputies attempted to arrest Barreto during a traffic stop, but he ran. They subsequently tracked him down at a Wawa, where he was refueling his motorcycle.

In another video revealed at Thursday's press briefing, deputies approach Barreto at the gas pump. Lopez claimed that deputies conversed with him, seeking to get his hands where they could see them, not knowing whether he had a weapon. At the same time, the bike was pushed over, causing gasoline to pour out of it. The accused deputy was heard on body camera video, "Kill the pump! Kill the pump! There's gas."

Still failing to persuade Barreto to agree, a deputy grabbed a taser and threatened to use it on him, as per Lopez. The video then shows a large fire breaking out at the gas station. According to the sheriff, both Barreto and the deputy were engulfed in flames. Lopez added that nearby deputies first assisted Barreto by putting out the fire with a fire extinguisher.

According to Barreto's attorney Mark Nejame, his client was "bum-rushed from behind" by a sheriff's officer, and his dirt bike crashed, spewing gas over both Barreto and the policeman. According to his attorneys, three additional officers came and one of them "proceeded to employ the use of a Taser on Mr Barreto, engulfing almost his entire body in flames and approximately half of the other deputy's as well."

"While being cooked alive, Mr Barreto sustained third-degree burns on approximately 75 per cent of his body, front and back from his feet to the bottom of his neck," Nejame informed.

According to López, the video shows Barreto, who was returning home from a calm motorcycle memorial ride in Osceola County, running 13 red lights, performing six wheelies, and driving in the opposite lane of traffic five times.

Barreto, who has been in the hospital for 10 weeks, is still enduring "excruciating" therapy and is due to be placed in a medically induced coma this week to undergo debridement, according to his lawyer. The deputy was also injured. Lopez stated on Thursday that the case against the deputy was determined after evaluating all evidence, which proved that his acts were "reckless" and "held such disregard for human life that it rises to the level of probable cause for culpable negligence." Lopez also stated that all responding deputies were wearing body cameras and that the footage from those cameras will be made public soon.

The deputy who used the taser is on paid administrative leave at the moment.