Video shows arrest of Olympic sprint medalist Fred Kerley after confrontation with Miami Beach Police
MIAMI BEACH - A track medalist in the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics was arrested in Miami Beach after a physical confrontation with four officers Thursday night, according to police.
Fred Kerley, 29, of Southwest Miami-Dade County, exchanged words with officers, a physical struggle ensued, and he was wrestled to the ground and subdued with a stun gun, police said. The agency released bodycam video of the incident.
CBS News Miami has edited the video to take out profanity.
On Friday, police added a probable cause arrest of robbery/strongarm and domestic battery on May 7, 2024, stemming from a physical confrontation with a woman he was married for three years and knew for 10 years. They reside together with three children in common. Police say they were not able to locate him then.
He already was facing charges of battery of a police officer and resisting an officer without violence. During his first appearance on Friday afternoon, Circuit Judge Mindy Glazer didn't find probable cause for a charge of disorderly conduct/breach of the peace and he was allowed to be released from jail on his own recognizance.
His attorney, Richard L. Cooper said Kerley will be released Saturday. "These new charges are stemming from a falsified accusation that has resurfaced because of this new media attention from last nights wrongful arrest," the attorney said.
"I can say that Mr. Kerley is a record-breaking athlete who has honorably and successfully represented our nation in the Olympics many times. These charges are false and indicate the brutal police state that Miami Beach has become."
In a follow-up statement provided to CBS News, Cooper wrote that, "It is clear from all available recordings of the arrest (including police worn body camera) that the police overreacted to an otherwise peaceful interaction with Mr Kerley."
Kerley's girlfriend, Cleo Rahman, 32, a national DJ known as Dj Sky High Baby, also is facing a charge of resisting an officer without violence charge because "her actions took several officers to divert their attention from assisting the officers to deal with her," according to the arrest report.
Florida's Halo Law, effective on Wednesday, establishes a 25-foot buffer zone around first responders to protect them during active duties and violations are classified as second-degree misdemeanors.
Rahman, a Burbank, Calif., resident, used her cellphone to record what happened
"What are you doing," she said in the video. "He is team USA."
Rahman told CBS Miami: "He was not aggressive. This does not give police the right to be push him and be aggressive for no reason. He's an athlete. He is team USA. It is not like he is playing for another team. He is here. This was so unfortunate. I want to go back home to Los Angeles. I have never been arrested before or been in trouble."
Police dispute her comments.
"Mr. Kerley battered one of our officers and pushed him in the chest, at which point the officers put their hands on him and tasered him," Officer Christopher Bess told CBS News Miami. "The message is very clear that when you see officers engaged in a scene give them some distance."
At 11:22 p.m., Miami Beach officers were involved in an investigation on the 100 block of Ninth Street. According to the arrest report: "Officers subsequently were approached by a black Male, wearing a gray hoodie, and black pants with an aggressive demeanor who was concerned about his vehicle that was parked in the area of the scene."
Kerley argued with the officers and his girlfriend, who attempted to pull him away from officers to calm the situation, police said.
Despite officers' efforts to de-escalate the situation, he stepped up to an officer.
One officer "delivered multiple hammer fists" toward Kerley's head and elbows, according to the police report.
"Stop resisting!" one officer said to Kerley as he laid on the ground, according to bodycam footage.
"I'm not resisting, get off of me, bro," Kerley replied.
One of the officers used a dart-firing stun gun, striking Kerley in the right lower back and he fell on his stomach, police said.
"The defendant's action disrupted the flow of pedestrian traffic and caused a crowd on the nearest sidewalk," according to the police report. "The defendant's actions also endangered the safety of the staff and establishment patrons of the nearby restaurant and Ocean Drive."
He was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami and then to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
"This could have been prevented," Bess said. "Our officers tried multiple times to de-escalate but Mr. Kerley kept rushing our officers."
The president of the Fraternal Order of Police in Miami criticized the judge for allowing him to be released from jail.
"I am very disappointed that Judge Mindy Glazer did not look at our officer's body worn cameras before she acted more like a defense attorney at the bond hearing than an unbiased judge,." Bobby Hernandez said. "She must have also not been aware that as she was sympathizing with him and his defense attorney that this 'model citizen' was wanted for domestic violence involving strangulation and robbery. Defendant Fred Kerly (spelling) had an opportunity to comply, and he decided to violently resist. Bad decisions lead to bad consequences."
In the 2020 Olympics, which took place in 2021 in Tokyo, Kerley finished second in the 100 meters.
In the 2024 Olympics in Paris, he was third, running the 100 in 9.81 seconds, just behind fellow American Noah Lyles and Jamaica's Kishane Thompson in a photo finish.
Kerley was born in San Antonio and ran track at Texas A&M. He won the 400 meters at the NCAA Division I Championships in a world-leading time 44.85 seconds.
