Source: Xinhua News Agency / Getty / Fred Kerley
Decorated Olympian Fred Kerley found out that you can represent your country on the world stage during the Olympics, win two medals, and the police will still find time to harass you physically.
Spotted on TMZ Sports, US Olympic Sprinter Fred Kerley, who brought home a bronze medal during the 2024 Olympic games in Paris, was arrested on Thursday night, January 2, after his arresting officers tased him during a confrontation that got out of hand and it was all captured on video.
The celebrity gossip site reports that the incident between the 29-year-old track star and the Miami Beach Police Department happened around 11:22 pm on Thursday as the officers were involved in “an active police scene.”
According to the incident report, cops say Kerley approached them with “an aggressive demeanor” while expressing concern about his nearby parked vehicle.
Bodycam footage obtained by TMZ Sports shows things got out of hand, resulting in multiple officers trying to physically subdue the Olympian, eventually having to deploy a taser to arrest him.
Per TMZ Sports:
Body cam footage shows as officers attempted to sort out the situation … Kerley became argumentative — and seconds later, he appeared to push a cop.
The shove ignited a fracas — with several officers leaping in to wrestle the American runner to the ground.
Despite multiple hands on Kerley, he still seemed to be fighting back — which caused one cop to deploy his Taser. The move appeared to then allow officers to gain control and put Kerley in cuffs.
While in custody, Kerley could be heard in the footage screaming at the officers — repeatedly calling them “weak” — before he was finally taken to a nearby jail.
Here is the body cam footage of Fred Kerley
being arrested.
He was tasered.pic.twitter.com/QDMrOBuN4T
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) January 3, 2025
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Kerley’s girlfriend, Cleo Rahman, also known as DJ Sky High Baby, also recorded the incident.
On her Instagram stories, Cleo Rahman, also known as DJ Sky High Baby, shared another angle of the Fred Kerley altercation with police from last night in Miami.
Bodycam footage of the arrest has already been published by local news and TMZ. pic.twitter.com/IdRgmlLpA9
— Chris Chavez (@ChrisChavez) January 3, 2025
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TMZ Sports reports that Rahman was also arrested and charged with resisting officers without violence.
Upon seeing the police bodycam footage and Rahman’s footage, users on X, formerly Twitter, are not biting their tongues, calling the incident police brutality.
“This is COMPLETE OVERUSE OF FORCE by the Miami-Dade Police against Fred Kerley. The same Fred Kerley, who just finished representing the USA and winning a Bronze Medal in the 100m at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. How do you represent your country and come home to unnecessary beat downs like this?” former NFL superstar Robert Griffin III wrote in a post on X.
This is COMPLETE OVERUSE OF FORCE by the Miami-Dade Police against Fred Kerley.
The same Fred Kerley, who just finished representing the USA and winning a Bronze Medal in the 100m at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. How do you represent your country and come home to unnecessary beat… pic.twitter.com/BMnf5tys8d
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) January 4, 2025
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Another post on X read, “Florida Police Officers have UNLAWFULLY ARRESTED 2x Olympic 100m Medalist Fred Kerley for attempting to access his motor vehicle. Racist White Police officers won’t stop harassing BLACK PEOPLE! He didn’t deserved to be tased nor arrested!”
We shall see how this incident plays out; until then, you can see more reactions in the gallery below.
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