A man was mistaken for a criminal suspect and tased at a gas station. He burst into flames.
If you thought getting tased was bad enough, what if you also caught on fire? A Florida man was tased at a gas station and suddenly burst into flames. Police officers weren’t even supposed to be following him.
Police officers tase a man at a gas station, setting him on fire
Jean Barreo-Baerga was minding his own business without committing any crimes when he was tackled and tased near a fuel pump at a gas station.
Osceola County Sheriff Marcos R. Lopes is accused of setting off a chain of events that resulted in police officers wrongly pursuing Barreto-Baerga, which left him with severe burns covering 75% of his body.
According to Tampa Bay, Lopez promised to crack down on street bikers. Then Barreto-Baerga was mistaken for a motorcycle rider suspected of aggravated assault. He was followed by police deputies and a helicopter unit.
Officers followed him even though they were told that Barreto-Baegra didn’t fit the suspect’s description. But they continued to follow him to a Wawa location outside of their jurisdiction.
Barreto-Baegra was just stopping to get gas, unaware of the pursuit. Then he was tackled by cops, and his motorcycle fell over, spilling gas on the ground.
Officers tased him and he went up in flames. Barreto-Begra received second and third-degree burns and spent a year in an intensive care unit.
He is suing Lopez and other officers involved in the incident for constitutional violations, assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and more.
The lawsuit seeks an unspecified amount in damages and demands a jury trial. Barreto-Baerga used to be an avid motorcycle rider. Now he feels alone as he suffers constant physical pain.
He shared that everything changed that day. He relieves the nightmare every single day. Barreto-Baerga was so badly injured that doctors told his parents he probably wouldn’t survive.
