Fred Kerley at this year's Olympic Games. © AFP / ANDREJ ISAKOVIC

Sprint star stunned and arrested by police

Three-time sprint world champion Fred Kerley was stunned with an electric shock device and arrested during an altercation with police in Miami Beach, police said, according to consistent media reports.

04 January 2025

From: dpa

The 29-year-old multiple Olympic medalist was first taken to a hospital and then to the Miami-Dade County Jail after the incident, reported the news agency AP.

According to police, Kerley approached an ongoing police investigation and tried to get to his car, which was parked nearby. According to police, the bronze medalist from Paris refused to leave the area and became increasingly aggressive. Kerley resisted and was subdued by several police officers using a taser. The altercation can be seen in the video from a police officer's body camera.

Police overreaction?

Kerley's lawyer Richard L. Cooper criticized the officers' actions. "I can say that Mr. Kerley is a record-breaking athlete who has honorably and successfully represented our nation at the Olympic Games on multiple occasions. The charges are false and demonstrate what a brutal police state Miami Beach has become," Cooper told US broadcaster CBS News. "It is clear from all available records of the arrest that the police overreacted to an otherwise peaceful interaction with Mr. Kerley."

Fred Kerley was arrested. © AFP / ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT

Kerley is accused of assault, resisting officers and disorderly conduct. As CBS News reported, he appeared in court on Friday afternoon. According to his lawyer, he will be allowed to leave custody on Saturday following a judge's decision.

Kerley won silver in the 2021 meters at the 100 Olympic Games in Tokyo and bronze in the same discipline at the 2024 Games in Paris. He won the 2022 meter title at the 100 World Championships in Eugene. He also won two World Championship gold medals with US relay teams.