Lawyers for a Florida man say he continues to fight for his life after he was “cooked alive” earlier this year, when a sheriff’s deputy is alleged to have shot him with a stun gun while the man was covered in gasoline from having fueled his dirt bike.
Jean Barreto, 26, suffered third-degree burns on over 75 percent of his body during the incident on Feb. 27 at a Wawa gas station in Orlando, the NeJame Law group said in a statement Wednesday.
An Osceola County sheriff’s deputy is accused of tackling Barreto from behind, knocking him and his dirt bike to the ground and spilling gas, the statement said. At least three other deputies then appeared, Barreto’s attorneys said, one of whom used a stun gun on Barreto.
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NBC affiliate WESH of Orlando reported the sheriff’s office said in February that the incident started when people called 911 on a group of motorcyclists who were pointing guns at people. Barreto is alleged to have fled from an attempted traffic stop.
The sheriff's office did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday but plans to hold a news conference about the incident Thursday.