Thursday 19 May 2022 05:49 PM Lawyers for man, 26, 'cooked alive' after cops' Taser set him on fire at gas ... trends now
Lawyers for a Fed-Ex worker who was badly burned in an explosion when a deputy tasered him while he was pumping gas say he is being 'vilified' by cops who suggested he was armed when the 26-year-old had 'never had a gun or brandished a gun.'
The Osceola County Sheriff's Office has yet to produce a charge against 26-year-old Jean Barreto, who was tackled from behind, allegedly without warning, during the botched arrest.
'I’ve never seen law enforcement behaving this way in Central Florida and doing these types of things for anything from no offense to misdemeanor offenses,' said Mark NeJame, who with Albert Yonfa represent Barreto and his family.
'Never had a gun that day. Never brandished a gun. But yet is being vilified while he’s laying pretty much skinless in a hospital bed fighting for his life,' NeJame told reporters during a Wednesday presser.
A photo shared by the attorneys with reporters shows Barreto's father praying at his son's bedside, which Yonfa said he does everyday.
Barreto, 26, who had been on his way home a peaceful motorbike memorial ride in Osceola County, suffered third-degree burns to more than 75% of his body as a result of the incident, which transpired at an Orange County Wawa on February 27.
He has been in an Orlando hospital ever since, where his lawyers say he has undergone dozens of surgeries as he barely clings life.
A photo shared by the attorneys with reporters shows Barreto's father praying at his savaged son's bedside, which Yonfa said he does everyday.
Lawyers for Florida Fed-Ex worker Jean Barreto, who was badly burned in an explosion in February when a Florida deputy Tasered him while he was pumping gas are demanding federal and state officials probe into the case, as local Sheriffs continue to refuse to hand over information on the case
During the event, NeJame challenged the Osceola County Sheriff's Office to prove previous assertions that deputies had followed Barretto to the gas station after responding to a call about a group of bikers allegedly brandishing guns.
The lawyer - who shared graphic images showing the hourslong process of changing the bandages covering most of Barretto’s body - demanded the office produce body-camera footage from the incident, which they have so far refused to do.
NeJame said police have yet to provide records of what led deputies to follow Barretto several miles into Orange County.
'We got none of them,' NeJame said. 'You don’t have them.'
He went on: 'This is a good, young man working at Fed Ex. Why is this happening? What are they hiding, and why are they hiding it?'
He then demanded the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and US Department of Justice take over the case, and open an investigation into the handling of the incident by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office.
Cops say Barreto, who was on his way home from a motorbike rally that was broken up by cops due to a recent 'zero tolerance' police implemented by the force against groups of bikers, fled the traffic stop on his bike and was tracked down to the Wawa - claims his attorney said they have yet to prove as of Wednesday, nearly three months after the incident
'We're calling today for Florida Department of Law Enforcement to take this case over or to have the US Justice Department to take this case over. There's too much going on, too many questions that need to be asked.'
'We're not saying anything other than let's get the truth out. And it's not out.'
'This is insanity, and we have to put an end to it.'
NeJame says Barreto is now without most of his skin, and is set to be put in a medically induced coma as he undergoes more intense treatment to stay alive.
'He is wrapped and unwrapped in gauze daily, bleeding profusely still as he doesn't have the requisite amount of skin to contain his body fluids.'
Among the questions aired during the Wednesday presser was why an officer would deploy a taser toward someone standing at something as flammable as a gas pump, knowing the risk of that firing an electrical charge near it might bring.
He said the group of bikers Barreto had gathered for a peaceful memorial ride, and that Barreto has never owned a gun and has no criminal record.
NeJame accused Osceola County Sheriff Marco López of hiding 'behind the skirt of FDLE' while still remaining silent about what happened to Barreto during the incident, which was recorded in part by a security camera at the Wawa.
'Rather than turning [the fire investigation] over to an independent agency, he’s got the fox guarding the henhouse,' NeJame said. 'Why is this being investigated with no information being provided to us when it’s his own agency? He can’t have it both ways.'
Barreto has been in an Orlando hospital ever since, where his lawyers say he has undergone dozens of surgeries as he barely clings life. He will now be placed in a medically induced coma ahead of new treatment, as doctors grow tissue to replace the skin he's lost
More than ten weeks later, Barreto remains hospitalized, undergoing intense treatment and repeated skin-grafts. He will now be placed in a medically induced coma ahead of new treatment, as doctors grow tissue to replace the skin he's lost.
Police previously said the incident started after they received a call saying a group of bikers were pointing guns at civilians, spurring them to stop Barreto in Kissimmee, 9 miles from the Orange County Wawa where the explosion would eventually occur.
Cops say Barreto, who was on his way home from a motorbike rally that was broken up by cops due to the recent 'zero tolerance' police implemented by the force against groups of bikers, fled the traffic stop on his bike and was tracked down to the Wawa.
Security footage
