Fred Kerley, a Team USA Olympic sprinter, was arrested on Thursday in Miami Beach, Florida, after a confrontation with police officers led to him being tased.
Newsweek has reached out to Miami Beach Police Department (MBPD) and Kerley's representatives at Pace Sports Management for comment Friday afternoon via email.
Why It Matters
Kerley, 29, is an Olympic medal-winning athlete, originally from Texas, who took home bronze and silver medals in 2021 and 2024. He was also the 2022 100-meter world champion and has won multiple other races. The athlete's competitive career goes back to 2017 and he has starred in the Netflix docuseries Sprint in 2024.
What To Know
Kerley's arrest came as officers with the MBPD investigated an incident in the 100 block of 9th Street late Thursday night. According to local media, he approached officers and expressed concern about his vehicle, which was parked nearby.
According to the MBPD, Kerley became "increasingly aggressive" and officers asked him to leave the area, but he refused and took a "fighting stance." Police then tried to tackle him to the ground.
The incident was captured on police body-worn cameras, seen by NBC 6 News, which showed the Olympian being pulled to his feet by cops before they led him away. A woman, thought to be his girlfriend, was heard asking officers to stop.
"He's an athlete, please do not mess with him," she can be heard on the video before an officer then said they would tase him.
In a statement, the MBPD said that when officers tried to arrest Kerley "he actively resisted their efforts. Consequently, emergency back-up was requested, a dart-firing stun gun was effectively deployed, and the defendant was arrested without any further incident."
Meanwhile, Cleo Rahman, Kerley's girlfriend, who is a DJ known as Dj Sky High Baby, was also detained for allegedly resisting arrest. She later posted to Instagram saying, "police brutality on black men got to stop!!"
An arrest record for Kerley, with Miami-Dade County Corrections seen by Newsweek, showed he was charged with battery, resisting an officer without violence, and disorderly conduct. Two other charges were listed against his name for robbery/strongarm and battery, but it was not clear whether those were related.
What People Are Saying
Kerley's attorney in court on Friday: "This seems like a total misunderstanding. Mr. Kerley is a record-breaking athlete. He has served in the Olympics for the United States track and field (team). He is a model citizen in our community. This is nothing more than an overreaction by the police."
Miami-Dade Judge Mindy Glazer in court to a police sergeant on Friday: "I don't know if the officers in Miami Beach are busy handling a lot of complicated crime scenes there, but I have a gentleman who's never been arrested, there's no prior arrests, who his attorney's saying has competed in the Olympics, who is obviously a professional athlete and it's unfortunate that he got to this position."
What's Next
Kerley was released from jail following his first hearing after Glazer did not find probable cause for a charge of disorderly conduct/breach of the police.
He was released on his own recognizance, per records seen by Newsweek.
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