Olympian Fred Kerley hit with stun gun and arrested in Florida after altercation with police

Sprinter Fred Kerley was arrested after an altercation with South Florida police that ended with the two-time Olympic medalist hit with a stun gun, officers mentioned Friday.

Kerley, 29, was talking with officers at 11:22 p.m. on Thursday close to 100 ninth St. “about his car parked close by” when his “demeanor grew to become more and more aggressive,” in line with a press release by Miami Seashore police.

After Kerley was “requested to depart the world,” he refused and “assumed a combating stance,” police continued. When officers tried to arrest Kerley, he allegedly resisted and “a dart-firing stun gun was successfully deployed,” police mentioned.

In 7 ½ minutes of body-camera video launched by police, Kerley is seen in a grey hoodie standing subsequent to a police car speaking to officers. It is unclear what’s being mentioned as there isn’t any audio within the first 30 seconds of video.

The individual carrying the digicam approaches Kerley and locations their hand on Kerley’s chest after which his wrist, touching off the scuffle.

Not less than 4 officers seem to wrestle with Kerley as they attempt to restrain him, footage confirmed.

Lastly, one of many officers pulls out a stun gun with a particular yellow deal with and fires into Kerley’s again, bringing him down immediately.

“I am not resisting, I acquired handcuffs on!” Kerley mentioned.

All through the video, he accused officers of wrongdoing and informed them they’d be going to jail.

Kerley did not clearly or instantly determine himself as an Olympic sprinter. However at one level he informed arresting officers: “Bro get off my legs, I would like my f—ing legs.”

Kerley was booked into custody on suspicion of battery of a police officer, disorderly conduct and resisting an officer, in line with jail data.

He was being held on six-month-old expenses of strong-arm theft and home battery by strangulation, in line with jail data and his lawyer. The circumstances behind these expenses weren’t instantly clear Friday evening.

The lawyer, Yale Stanford, in a press release described the footage as “obscene.”

“It simply goes to point out that irrespective of how laborious you’re employed, what number of medals you earn on your nation, and the way many individuals throughout the globe you encourage, in Miami Seashore, Mr. Kerley was handled like thousands and thousands of African-Individuals, female and male, across the nation…with an absence of humanity, compassion, or respect,” the assertion mentioned. “It’s necessary for our neighborhood to pay attention to these actions by police so we are able to ensure any such conduct is prevented sooner or later.”

Kerley took silver within the 100-meter dash within the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 after which bronze in that very same race this previous summer season in Paris.

Kerley has a listening to scheduled for Saturday morning, Stanford mentioned.