Police officer charged after stun gun sets biker on fire

A police officer in Florida, Miami, has been charged after accidentally activating his stun gun, setting a biker on fire.

The Florida Deputy will face misdemeanour charges for the incident, which happened on February 27,  according to ABC News.

Osceola County Sheriff Marcos López speaking to journalists on May 19 that the deputy is being charged with culpable negligence, while the biker faces charges of reckless driving, fleeing law enforcement and resisting arrest.

The biker was recorded weaving through traffic by a police helicopter before stopping for gas in neighbouring Orange Country. Deputies followed the biker out of their jurisdiction believing that he had been part of a group of bikers brandishing guns at people, according to the sheriff.

He explained that the biker’s motorcycle was knocked over during the arrest, spilling fuel. While the biker was on the ground, a deputy activated his stun gun, setting the petrol soaked biker alight.

The charges follow the conclusion by state marshals that the stun gun caused the fire, leaving burns on 76 per cent of the biker’s body.

The biker was not found to be carrying a gun in what his Lawyers have called: “A grossly excessive, unwarranted, and horrific abuse of police conduct and authority.”

The news that the police officer is to be charged is in line with agency policy that forbids the use of stun guns on suspects around flammable substances.

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