San Antonio Olympian sprinter Fred Kerley accused of being ‘aggressive’ with Miami Beach police, shot with Taser

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – San Antonio native and U.S. Olympic sprinter Fred Kerley was tased and taken into custody by Miami Beach police late Thursday night.

According to a police report obtained by KSAT, the 29-year-old approached Miami Beach police with an “aggressive demeanor” because his vehicle was parked in the middle of an active police scene.

Officers told Kerley, a silver medalist in the 2020 Summer Olympics and a bronze medalist in the 2024 Summer Olympics, to “go around” the area of the police scene, but Kerley continued to argue with officers.

During the argument, one of the Miami Beach police officers raised his hand and pushed it up against Kerley to create distance between the officer and the Olympian, the report stated.

In the report, Miami Beach police wrote that Kerley responded by pushing the officer’s hand away from him. Officers then descended on Kerley and a struggle began.

Body camera footage obtained by WPLG, the ABC affiliate in Miami, Florida, and the arrest report confirmed that one of the officers punched Kerley in the head multiple times and delivered “several elbows toward his upper back area.”

During the struggle, Miami Beach authorities said Kerley continued to resist arrest, the report stated.

“Our officers attempted to de-escalate the situation multiple times,” Miami Beach Police Department Public Information Officer Christopher Bess told WPLG. “However, unfortunately, the defendant escalated it by using physical force on an officer and was subsequently dealt with accordingly.”

The footage later showed Miami Beach police tase Kerley before he was arrested and taken to the Miami-Dade County jail. He was charged with battery against an officer, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

The battery charge is considered a felony while the resisting arrest and disorderly conduct charges are misdemeanors.

Kerley later appeared before a Miami-Dade County judge on Friday afternoon.

The judge heard from Kerley’s attorney and a Miami Beach police sergeant, WPLG reported.

While the judge told Kerley that he “was not at your best behavior here when dealing with these police officers,” the judge also suggested to the Miami Beach police sergeant that the incident “could have been handled a different way.”

While weighing Kerley’s lack of a previous arrest record as well as finding probable cause on the battery and resisting arrest charges, the Miami-Dade County judge ordered Kerley’s release on his own recognizance, WPLG reported.

The union representing Miami Beach police officers shared its disagreement with the ruling in the Kerley case.

“I am very disappointed that Judge Mindy Glazer did not look at our officer’s body worn (sic) cameras before she acted more like a defense attorney at the bond hearing than an unbiased judge,” Fraternal Order of Police President Bobby Hernandez told WPLG. “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.”

WPLG reported that Hernandez was referring to a May 2024 case in which Kerley is set to appear in bond court again this weekend. WPLG’s report stated that the full details in that case were not yet available.

Kerley’s defense attorney Yale Sanford released a statement on behalf of his client after the body camera footage was released to the public.

“It just goes to show that no matter how hard you work, how many medals you earn for your country, and how many people across the globe you inspire, in Miami Beach, Mr. Kerley was treated like millions of African-Americans, male and female, around the country … with a lack of humanity, compassion, or respect,” Sanford told WPLG. “It’s important for our community to be aware of these actions by police so we can make sure this type of behavior is prevented in the future.”