OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — The attorneys for a motorcyclist who was burned on more than 75% of his body after a confrontation with an Osceola County deputy are asking the sheriff’s office to turn the investigation over to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement or the U.S. Justice Department.
Jean Barreto, 26, was burned from his neck to his ankles after an Osceola County deputy tackled him while he was filling up his motorcycle.
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Deputies fired a Taser at Barreto, and the state fire marshal said that sparked the flames. Deputies said Barreto was part of a group of motorcyclists who had pointed a gun at and harassed other drivers.
One of Barreto’s attorneys, Mark NeJame, said Barreto does not own a gun nor did he have a gun on him at the time of the fire. He said Barreto was filling up his bike with gas a mile from his house on his way home from a group memorial ride.
NeJame said thatalmost three months after the fire, they still have no answers from the sheriff’s office as to why Barreto was targeted at the gas station.
Barreto has not been arrested or charged with any crimes. He remains hospitalized, and his attorneys said he is continuing to undergo procedures to graft skin on the majority of his body.
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez is set to provide his own update on the case on Thursday afternoon.
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