In a shocking incident this week, Olympic sprinter Fred Kerley was arrested and tased by police officers in Miami, Florida. TMZ Sports released video footage on Friday, showing the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist in a tense altercation with the Miami Beach Police Department on Thursday.
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According to the Miami Beach Police, Kerley approached officers at the scene of an unrelated active investigation with an "aggressive demeanor." Reports say Kerley was concerned about his car, which was parked nearby, and became "argumentative" when officers did not immediately address his concerns.
The situation quickly escalated, with video footage capturing Kerley exchanging pushes with an officer. As a result, several other officers subdued him, taking him to the ground before deploying a taser as he attempted to stand up.
In body-camera footage shared by Sheldon Fox-7 News, Kerley can be seen being taken down by officers before being tased. He was ultimately arrested and booked on charges, including battery on a police officer. He is expected to face a judge soon as the legal proceedings unfold.
Here’s Miami Beach Police body camera footage of the takedown and Tasering of Olympic sprinter Fredrick Kerley on South Beach last night, before he was taken to jail on charges of battery on an officer and other offenses. @wsvn #1stOn7 https://t.co/Q6jBhcU1a2 pic.twitter.com/Js7RG2nRHY
— Sheldon Fox-7 News (@fox_sheldon) January 3, 2025
Kerley, 29, is considered a top sprinter worldwide. Just this past summer, he won a bronze medal in the men's 100-meter race at the 2024 Paris Olympics, finishing behind fellow American Noah Lyles and Jamaica's Kishane Thompson. He also earned a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the same event, behind France's Marcell Jacobs.
Over his career, Kerley has racked up six medals at the World Championships, including a gold medal in 2022, where he was crowned the World's Fastest Man in the 100m.
A native of Texas, Kerley initially began his career as a 400m runner but later focused on the 100m, where he has clocked an impressive personal best of 9.76 seconds, ranking him 15th on the all-time sprinter list. Kerley was also featured on the popular Netflix series "Sprint."
As this incident develops, the spotlight will no doubt be on the sprinter, who has long been a symbol of excellence in track and field, but now faces legal scrutiny following this altercation.
