Fred Kerley Arrested In Miami Beach On Police Battery Charges

Fred Kerley Arrested In Miami Beach On Police Battery Charges

Paris Olympics 100m bronze medalist Fred Kerley was arrested in Miami Beach for alleged police battery, among other charges, according to reports.

Jan 3, 2025 by Ashley Tysiac
Fred Kerley Arrested In Miami Beach On Police Battery Charges

Paris Olympics 100m bronze medalist Fred Kerley was arrested in Miami Beach, Fla. on Thursday night for alleged police battery, among other charges, according to online police records and local news reports.

According to a report from local outlet WSVN, Miami Beach police said Kerley approached an active police investigation scene on 9th Street on Thursday night. Police said Kerley had concerns about his car parked near the scene.

When asked to leave the area by police, according to reports, Kerley refused. As detailed in WSVN's news report, Kerley allegedly "assumed a fighting stance" when police officers attempted to abate the situation. Police said Kerley did not take officers' commands and a stun gun was reportedly used to take Kerley into custody.

Police body camera footage circulating online from the arrest shows Kerley being wrestled to the ground by multiple police officers after he appears to make contact with one of the officers who put a hand on him. In the footage, Kerley gets punched as the officers try to bring him to the ground. Kerley is then tasered and handcuffed, as seen in the footage.

A woman near the scene, reportedly Kerley's girlfriend, can be seen and heard repeatedly shouting, "Stop" on the body camera footage as officers bring Kerley to the ground.

Kerley was booked in jail early Friday morning on charges of battery on a police officer, corrections officer or firefighters, resisting an officer without violence and disorderly conduct, according to online reports.

The charge of battery on a police officer, corrections officer or firefighters is a felony charge.

Kerley appeared in bond court on Friday afternoon. According to outlet Local 10, Miami-Dade Judge Mindy Glazer ordered Kerley be released from jail on his own recognizance and found probable cause for the charges of battery on an officer and resisting arrest, but not for the count of disorderly conduct.

In Local 10's account of the hearing, Kerley's attorney Yale Sanford argued that the officers involved in the situation escalated the confrontation with Kerley and did not use reasonable force. Prosecutors said that Kerley pushing an officer gave grounds for the battery on an officer charge, according to the news report.

However, though Kerley was technically released from jail for the charges related to Thursday night's incident, he stayed in jail. According to records in the Miami-Dade Corrections & Rehabilitation inmate records, Kerley was additionally charged with strongarm robbery, domestic violence and domestic violence by strangulation -- all felonies. All of these charges reportedly stemmed from a May 2024 case when police allegedly couldn't locate Kerley, as reported by Front Office Sports.

29-year-old Kerley has won two Olympic medals in his career -- bronze in the 100m in Paris and silver in the same event in Tokyo -- along with a world championship title in the 100m in 2022.

This is a developing story. FloTrack will continue to provide updates as we learn more details.

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