MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — U.S. Olympic runner Fred Kerley was arrested Thursday in South Florida following a confrontation with police, authorities said.
Body camera footage released by Miami Beach police shows Kerley arguing with a group of officers late Thursday before a physical confrontation erupted. Kerley was wrestled to the ground, where an officer stuck him several times and then used a Taser on the 29-year-old sprinter, police said.
According to an arrest report, officers were investigating an unrelated active police scene when Kerley approached the area and attempted to force his way through to his vehicle, which was parked nearby. Officers had told Kerley to go around the area, but Kerley began to argue with them, which led to a shoving match with police.
Four officers tried to take Kerley into custody while he moved to evade arrest, officials said. After being stunned with the Taser, Kerley was taken to a local hospital and then to the Miami-Dade County jail.
Kerley was charged with battery, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct.
He appeared at a bond hearing Friday at which defense attorney Yale Sanford was critical of the police officers at the scene.
“This seems like a total misunderstanding,” Sanford said, according to WPLG TV, the ABC affiliate in Miami. “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.”
Sanford went on to claim that the incident was “a complete overuse of any reasonable force by officers.”
USA Track & Field, the national governing body for track and field in the U.S., didn’t immediately respond to a message from the Associated Press seeking comment.
Kerley won the silver medal for the 100 meters at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and the bronze for the same event at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He has also earned six medals at the world championships.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
