Team USA sprinter Fred Kerley was arrested at Miami Beach following a confrontation with law enforcement. Body cam footage released online shows the 2024 Paris Olympics bronze medalist being tasered by officers before being arrested and charged with battery on a police officer and disorderly conduct.
According to Miami Beach police, the situation began when Kerley refused to leave the location of an active investigation happening around his parked car.
“Despite officers’ efforts to de-escalate the situation, the defendant assumed a fighting stance and continued to ignore their lawful commands,” a police statement said.
“When the officers attempted to effectuate his arrest, 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.”
A video of Kerley in a grey hoody and jeans surfaced, detained by the police as he sat on the curb in a sea of at least six officers. Three officers lifted him off the sidewalk to take him into custody without further incident or physical confrontation. Kerley consistently looked behind him and surveyed the scene as cops walked him forward.
Miami-Dade Corrections released Kerley’s mug shot online on Friday for three official charges: battery on a police officer, resisting officer without violence, and disorderly conduct/a breach of the peace.
NBC Miami reports that Kerley is set to appear in bond court on the same day of the arrest. The monetary value and attorneys are unknown at the moment, but according to a Miami-Dade inmate database, two of the three charges equal a $650 bond.
Battery on a Police Officer is a third-degree felony in Florida, and it carries heavy consequences. According to Adam K. Goodman Law, the charge is punishable by up to five years in prison, five years of probation, and a $5,000 fine. If the offense is upgraded to Aggravated Battery on a Police Officer, penalties become even harsher, with an obligatory minimum prison sentence of five years.
The outcomes for less severe charges like Disorderly Conduct are significantly lighter. According to Miami-Dade’s eLaws website, this misdemeanor carries a maximum fine of $500 and the potential for up to 60 days in jail.
Kerley is a two-time Olympic medalist and most recently competed during the 2024 Paris Olympics. He also won the Budapest 2023 World Championships as a member of the 4×100 meter relay team along with Christian Coleman, Brandon Carnes, and reigning fastest man in the world, Noah Lyles.
Just days before the incident, Kerley tweeted the celebration of his first-ever track-and-field trading card release, retweeting a collector to pull the Olympian’s autographed card. On Dec. 21, Kerley tweeted, “Through every challenge and every triumph, one thing remains certain: I can always count on me.”
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