Paris Olympics bronze medallist Fred Kerley was reportedly tasered and then arrested in Florida late on Thursday after a confrontation with police.

Media reports in USA, citing online records, said that Fred Kerley was charged with battery, resisting an officer and disorderly conduct and booked into jail early Friday morning.

A USA Today report stated that Miami Beach Police Department had released body-worn camera footage of the arrest. The footage shows Fred Kerley, who won a bronze medal in the men’s 100-meter race at Paris 2024, exchanging words with police officers. 

The officers then strike him and wrestle the sprinter to the ground. The reports noted that an agitated Fred Kerley had to be subdued with a stun gun, called a taser. He was then taken away by the police after he was placed into handcuffs.

Kerley was released Friday afternoon.

Media site TMZ, citing incident report for the arrest, said that Fred Kerley “approached the officers aggressively and began a disturbance in reference to his own car”. Fred Kerley is alleged to have shoved one of the officers. This led to the situation flaring up. TMZ added that Kerley was booked on three charges.

USA Today pointed out that as many as four officers had tried to put Fred Kerley into custody. Of this, one officer “delivered multiple hammer fists at Kerley’s head and upper back” to subdue him. The police later used a stun gun.

USA Today added that an officer can be heard shouting “Stop resisting!” as Kerley lay on the ground. “I’m not resisting, get off of me, bro,” Kerley can be heard replying. He also called the officers “weak.”

At one stage, a woman who is reportedly Kerley’s girlfriend can be heard shouting: “He didn’t do anything! We were walking to our car! Our car is right there!”

Source: The Indian Express

--Agencies