Olympic sprinter Fred Kerley wrestled to ground, tased in confrontation with police

Olympic track and field star Fred Kerley was arrested in Florida late Thursday after a confrontation with police.

Body-worn camera footage released by the Miami Beach Police Department on Friday shows Kerley, the reigning Olympic bronze medalist in the men's 100-meter dash, exchanging words with a group of officers before being wrestled to the ground and struck repeatedly. One of the officers then subdued Kerley with a stun gun, colloquially known as a Taser, before he was placed into handcuffs.

Kerley was booked into jail early Friday morning on charges of battery upon a law enforcement officer, which is a third-degree felony, as well as resisting an officer and disorderly conduct, which are misdemeanors. He was released Friday afternoon after making his initial appearance in court.

When asked about Kerley's arrest and the altercation that proceeded it, one of Kerley's attorneys, Yale Sanford, referred to the body-worn camera footage released by police, which he described as "obscene."

"It just goes to show you that no matter how hard you work, or how many medals you earn for your country, in Miami Beach last night, my client was treated like millions of African-Americans around the country — with a lack of humanity, compassion and respect," Sanford, who is working alongside Richard L. Cooper to represent Kerley, told USA TODAY Sports.

Miami Beach police spokesperson Christopher Bess said the incident, like all use-of-force incidents, was undergoing a standard review but that the officers "responded to the resistance appropriately and professionally."

Why was Fred Kerley arrested?

The altercation between Kerley and police took place in a commercial area of southern Miami Beach, a few blocks from the water.

In a written police report, officers described Kerley as having an "aggressive demeanor" when he approached the perimeter of an unrelated police scene, apparently on the way to his car, which was parked nearby. Police allege that Kerley "attempted to force his way through" two officers despite their requests that he circumvent the area. One officer then raised his left hand and made contact with Kerley, who brushed it aside.

In the altercation that followed, police wrote in their report that four officers attempted to place Kerley into custody while he used "evasive movements to avoid being arrested." One of the officers then "delivered multiple hammer fists" towards Kerley's head and upper back in continued attempts to subdue him, according to the police report. A separate video, shared on social media by a witness, shows an officer striking Kerley on the side of his torso.

One of the officers then unholstered his stun gun, which made contact with Kerley's back and sent him to the ground, where police proceeded to place him in handcuffs.

"Stop resisting!" one of the officers said to Kerley as he lay on the ground, according to the footage.

"I'm not resisting, get off of me, bro," Kerley replied, before repeatedly and profanely calling the officers "weak."

A small crowd gathered near the scene, according to the body-worn camera footage, with many of the onlookers holding up their phones. Cleo Rahman, who was accompanying Kerley and is identified in the police report as his girlfriend, is also heard screaming "stop!" repeatedly during and after the encounter.

"He didn't do anything!" she told officers at one point. "We were walking to our car! Our car is right there!"

According to online court records, Rahman was also arrested for resisting an officer without violence, which is a misdemeanor.

Fred Kerley also facing domestic battery allegation

Hours after Kerley was booked into jail, another Florida police department filed separate charges against the sprinter stemming from an alleged domestic incident in May.

According to the police report in that case, Kerley and the victim − who is not named but identified by police as his wife of three years − got into an argument at their house in Miami on May 7. The victim told police that Kerley took her cell phone, then "pushed her to the ground, encircled his arm around her neck and impeded her breathing" before leaving the scene. She said he later returned the phone but was not at the house when police arrived.

Miami-Dade County police charged Kerley with robbery and domestic battery, but a spokesperson said they had not been able to locate and arrest him until he was arrested in the Miami Beach case late Thursday night. Kerley's attorney said he was expected to appear before a judge in the domestic case Saturday.

"These new charges are stemming from a falsified accusation that has resurfaced because of this new media attention from last night's wrongful arrest," Cooper said in a statement.

A USA Track & Field spokesperson declined comment on Kerley's arrest but said the organization was not aware of the domestic battery charge prior to his participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics last summer.

Who is Fred Kerley?

Kerley has emerged in recent years as one of top sprinters in the world and one of the best-known track and field athletes on Team USA.

After switching from his initial event, the 400 meters, he won a surprising silver medal in the men's 100-meter dash at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The former Texas A&M sprinter then followed it up with a world championship in the event in 2022, and another Olympic medal (bronze) at the Paris Games last summer. He has also competed internationally in the 200-meter dash and 4x100 meter relay.

Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on social media @tomschad.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fred Kerley, U.S. Olympic star, arrested after police confrontation