US Olympic sprinter Fred Kerley was taken into custody and stun-gunned during an encounter with police in Miami, Florida on Thursday evening, now facing charges of battery, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, as reported by officials.
Authorities subsequently made public body camera video of the event. It depicts Kerley, who earned a bronze medal in the men’s 100m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, being approached by law enforcement officers. An officer lifts a hand that pushes sideways against Kerley’s chest, Kerley swats the hand away, then an arm shoves Kerley, and a conflict begins.
It’s not possible to listen to the dialogue since the video has no sound until the physical altercation starts. Multiple officers force Kerley down to the ground during the altercation, and one seemingly strikes him several times. In the arrest report, police state that two officers slipped and landed on their backs, with Kerley landing on one of them. An officer subsequently uses a dart-firing stun gun on Kerley, who collapses to the ground upon impact.
Kerley’s lawyer, Yale Sanford, informed CNN in a statement that the bodycam video is “obscene.”
“It clearly demonstrates that regardless of the effort you put in, the number of medals you win for your nation, and how many individuals worldwide you motivate, in Miami Beach, Mr. Kerley faced treatment similar to countless African-Americans, both men and women, throughout the nation… without any humanity, compassion, or respect,” he stated.
“It’s crucial for our community and nation to recognize these police actions so we can ensure this kind of conduct is stopped in the future.”
The officers were engaged in a different, ongoing investigation when Kerley came up to them, worried about his car, which was parked nearby, said Christopher Bess, a representative of the Miami Beach Police Department.
Bess claimed that Kerley “ignored lawful orders and physically shoved one of the uniformed officers” prior to resisting the officers’ efforts to detain him.
According to the arrest record, Kerley was transported to a nearby hospital prior to being transferred to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. He subsequently showed up at Miami-Dade County Court on Friday afternoon, based on court documents, where his lawyer Sanford condemned the police’s actions.
Kerley is set to go to court again on Saturday for a different case. He is charged with robbery and domestic battery after his wife claimed he put his arm around her neck and restricted her breathing during a dispute in May 2024, according to an arrest record from the Miami-Dade Police Department, which also states that Kerley confiscated her cellphone and left the scene.
