Olympic medalist Fred Kerley, 29, has been charged with assaulting a police officer during an incident in Miami Beach on Thursday night. The felony charge of battery on a law enforcement officer is the most serious, but Kerley’s defense attorney argued that the police used excessive force.
Kerley, who won silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and bronze at the 2024 Paris Games, approached a police scene with an “aggressive demeanor” despite being told to leave the area. The situation escalated when he resisted arrest, pushing an officer and leading to a struggle with multiple officers on the ground.
A Miami Beach police sergeant appeared remotely during Kerley’s bond hearing and justified the charges, saying that body camera footage shows him using physical force on an officer. However, the judge found probable cause for the charges of battery on an officer and resisting arrest but not disorderly conduct.
Kerley was released on his own recognizance, with a warning from the judge to stay away from Miami Beach. His defense attorney criticized the police actions, calling them “obscene” and saying that Kerley was treated unfairly due to his ethnicity. Kerley will appear in court again on Saturday for another incident involving his wife earlier this year.
Source: https://www.local10.com/news/local/2025/01/03/olympic-sprinter-fred-kerley-arrested-on-south-beach-accused-of-fighting-officers