Jean Beretta, a 26 year old Florida man, sustained third degree burns on approximately 75% of his body after an arrest went wrong.
The attempted arrest happened at an Orange County, Florida WaWa gas station in February earlier this year, according to CBS. Three deputies claimed that Beretta was part of a group of motorcyclists that were pointing guns at people. During a traffic stop they said Beretta fled, but they eventually caught up with him at the gas station.
Surveillance video shows the moment a gas pump burst into flames while one deputy tried to take him into custody using a taser.
One witness to the attempted arrest claims they heard a taser being deployed. The Osceola sheriff’s office has not yet confirmed if the taser played any role in the fire, but a report from the state fire marshal says that the taser is the most likely cause. The report concludes, in part, “the most probable cause of the fire was an electric discharge from the deputies deploying a department-issued Taser device.”
Mark Nejame, Beretta’s attorney said that Barreto, who spent 10 weeks in the hospital, is still undergoing “excruciating” treatment and was expected to be placed in a medically induced coma this week to undergo debridement. Beretta’s family is now seeking justice for the alleged negligent discharge of the taser. “Even an elementary school child knows that you don’t deploy electricity around anything that’s flammable or around gasoline,” Nejame said.
Beretta claims that he didn’t have a gun and has never owned one and that he was taking part that day in a tribute ride for a fellow biker that started in Orange County.
Nejame is also requesting body cam footage from the officers. “Where are the body cameras the officers are given so we can see the other angles, where are the reports of all of the deputies who were there. We’ve got none of them,” said Nejame.
The County Sheriff’s Office plans to update the public as the case develops.
