Olympic sprinter Fred Kerley was arrested in South Florida on Thursday after an allegedly violent confrontation with police on South Beach. NBC Miami reports the 29-year-old was charged with alleged battery on a law enforcement officer and other charges in an exchange captured by police body camera footage. Miami Beach Police say they were investigating an incident when Kerley approached them with concerns about his vehicle parked nearby. Per an arrest report seen by the AP, Kerley tried to force his way through to his vehicle though officers had told him to go around the area.
When Kerley was asked to leave the area, police say he took a "fighting stance," refused to obey commands, and became "increasingly aggressive" before four officers wrestled him to the ground. Local 10 reports police "delivered multiple hammer fists" to Kerley's head and used a stun gun in an attempt to subdue him. Kerley's girlfriend, 32-year-old Cleo Jamila Rahman—known as DJ Sky High Baby—was also charged with resisting arrest. In court the following day, Kerley's attorney argued police overreacted.
"This is a complete overuse of any reasonable force by officers, and it was a simple misunderstanding from the beginning that was escalated by police," he said. The judge seemed sympathetic and dropped a charge of disorderly conduct while finding probable cause for counts of battery on an officer and resisting arrest. Kerley's attorney released a statement saying: "It just goes to show that no matter how hard you work, how many medals you earn for your country, and how many people across the globe you inspire, in Miami Beach, Mr. Kerley was treated like millions of African-Americans, male and female, around the country...with a lack of humanity, compassion, or respect." Kerley won bronze in the 100-meter race at the 2024 Paris Olympics and silver in the same event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. (More Fred Kerley stories.)
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