An Osceola County sheriff’s deputy found Deputy David Crawford not guilty of negligence after he was accused of tasering a gas-covered motorcyclist, starting a fire that left the victim with severe burns.
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Attorneys for both sides delivered closing arguments Friday after the weeklong trial.
Investigators said Osceola County Deputy David Crawford fired his Taser at a reckless driving suspect at a Wawa gas station in Orange County in February 2022.
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Video shows the fire engulfing the suspect and deputies, causing serious injuries.
On Thursday, Crawford told the jury that he never tried to tase the suspect; he threw the Taser away from the suspect because it had been dropped by another deputy.
The deputy who fired the Taser not once but twice.
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Crawford told the jury that it wasn’t his actions that caused the fire, evidenced by the fact that the Taser was under a car and didn’t even scorch in those flames.
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Crawford said the fire wasn’t started by him, but he was surprised like everyone else when the fire ignited and burned him as well.
In fact, he claimed he would do it all the same way again because that was how his train worked.
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