OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. – A federal judge has denied a motion to dismiss a civil lawsuit against the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and former Sheriff Marcos Lopez stemming from a 2022 incident that left a man with severe burns over much of his body.
The lawsuit centers on a confrontation at a gas station on Central Florida Parkway, where Jean Barreto was engulfed in flames during a traffic stop that deputies attempted to make in February 2022.
Osceola County deputies tried to pull Barreto over for allegedly driving his motorcycle recklessly. The stop escalated when deputies tackled Barreto near a pool of gasoline.
Deputy David Crawford was accused of firing a taser that ignited the fuel, sparking a fire that left Barreto with burns covering more than 75 percent of his body.
Crawford defended his actions on the stand in 2024, saying he did not intentionally discharge the weapon.
“I knew we were in gas and I wanted to get the taser away from him,” Crawford said on the stand.
Crawford was acquitted of culpable negligence. He maintained that he picked up the taser after another deputy had fired it and that it accidentally discharged.
The not-guilty verdict, however, did not end the legal fight for Barreto.
Two months after Crawford’s acquittal, Barreto’s legal team filed a federal civil lawsuit, naming Crawford, four other deputies and Osceola County as defendants. The suit alleges violations of Fourth Amendment rights, assault, battery and emotional distress.
Barreto’s attorney, Albert Yonfa, told News 6 that no matter the outcome of the criminal case, a civil lawsuit was inevitable.
“Jean’s scars are obviously physical. He’s completely maimed and scarred from head to toe but the real damage is on the inside,” Yonfa said.
A request by suspended Sheriff Lopez and Osceola County to have the case dismissed was denied.
The judge did grant a partial victory to the county, tossing one count, respondeat superior, a legal doctrine that holds employers responsible for the negligence of employees. Barreto’s team has until April 13 to refile that count.
The trial is currently scheduled for February 2027.