Olympic track and field star Fred Kerley was arrested in Florida late Thursday after a confrontation with police.
Body-worn camera footage released by the Miami Beach Police Department shows Kerley, the reigning Olympic bronze medalist in the men’s 100-meter dash, exchanging words with a group of officers before being struck and wrestled to the ground. One of the officers then subdued Kerley with a stun gun, colloquially known as a Taser, before he was placed into handcuffs.
Kerley was charged with battery, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct and booked into jail early Friday morning, according to online records. He was released Friday afternoon.
The Olympic sprinter did not have an attorney listed in online court records as of mid-day Friday, and his agent did not immediately reply to a message seeking comment. Spokespersons for USA Track & Field did not immediately reply to an email.
In a written police report, officers described Kerley as having an “aggressive demeanor” when he approached the perimeter of an unrelated police scene, apparently on the way to his car, which was parked nearby. Police allege that Kerley “attempted to force his way through” two officers despite their requests that he circumvent the area. One officer then raised his left hand and made contact with Kerley, who brushed it aside.
In the altercation that followed, police wrote in the report that four officers attempted to place Kerley into custody while he used “evasive movements to avoid being arrested.” One of the officers then “delivered multiple hammer fists” towards Kerley’s head and upper back in continued attempts to subdue him, according to the police report, before later using his stun gun.
“Stop resisting!” one of the officers said to Kerley as he lay on the ground, according to the footage.
“I’m not resisting, get off of me, bro,” Kerley replied before repeatedly and profanely calling the officers “weak.”
A small crowd gathered near the scene, according to the body-worn camera footage, with many of the onlookers holding up their phones. A woman who was accompanying Kerley and is identified in the police report as his girlfriend is also heard screaming “stop!” repeatedly during and after the encounter.
“He didn’t do anything!” she told officers at one point. “We were walking to our car! Our car is right there!”
Kerley, 29, has emerged in recent years as one of top sprinters in the world and one of the best-known track and field athletes on Team USA. After switching from his initial event, the 400 meters, he won a surprising silver medal in the men’s 100-meter dash at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. He then followed it up with a world championship in the prestigious event in 2022, and another Olympic medal (bronze) at the Paris Games last summer.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @tomschad.bsky.social.
