US Olympic sprinter Fred Kerley has been arrested and stun-gunned during a confrontation with police officers in Miami, Florida, and is now facing charges of battery, resisting officers and disorderly conduct, according to authorities.
Police later released body camera footage of the Thursday night incident (Friday AEDT). It shows Kerley, who won a bronze medal in the men’s 100m at the 2024 Paris Olympics, approached by police officers.
One officer raises a hand that pushes sideways against Kerley’s chest, Kerley bats the hand away, before an arm pushes Kerley and an altercation starts.
It is impossible to hear what is being said as there is no sound on the video until the physical confrontation begins. Several officers push Kerley to the ground in the struggle, and one appears to hit him multiple times.
In the arrest record, police say two officers lost their footing and fell on their back and that Kerley fell on top of one of them. An officer then deploys a dart-firing stun gun on Kerley who falls to the ground after being hit.
Kerley’s defence attorney Yale Sanford told CNN in a statement that the body cam footage is “obscene”.
“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,” he said.
“It’s important for our community and country to be aware of these actions by police so we can make sure this type of behaviour is prevented in the future.”
The officers had been conducting an active, unrelated investigation, when Kerley approached them, concerned about his vehicle which was parked in the area, Christopher Bess, a spokesperson for the Miami Beach Police Department, told CNN.
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Bess alleged that Kerley “disregarded lawful commands and physically pushed one of the uniformed officers” before resisting the officers’ attempts to detain him.
Kerley was taken to a local hospital before going to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, the arrest record said. He then appeared at Miami-Dade County Court on Friday afternoon (Saturday AEDT), according to court records, where his attorney Sanford criticised the police’s conduct, CNN affiliate WPLG reported.
Kerley was scheduled to appear in court again on Saturday (Sunday AEDT) in an unrelated case. He is facing charges of robbery and domestic battery after his wife alleged he circled his arm around her neck and impeded her breathing during an argument in May 2024, per an arrest record filed with the Miami-Dade Police Department, which also alleges that Kerley took away her phone and drove off.
USA Track and Field declined to comment when contacted by CNN.
