The arrest of U.S. Olympian Fred Kerley late Thursday in Miami Beach, Florida, after a confrontation with police has ignited outrage on social media, with fans labeling it as racism.
Body camera footage released by the Miami Beach Police Department shows Kerley in an altercation with officers before being tackled, struck, and subdued with a stun gun.
He was charged with battery, resisting an officer, and disorderly conduct.
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Reports indicate that Kerley was booked into jail in the early hours of Friday and later released that afternoon.
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On social media, the footage and nature of the confrontation has drawn loads of criticism with many of Kerley’s fans deeming the treatment unfair.
Others questioned Kerley’s resistance to police in his arrest. “That’s what happens when you fight back police,” someone commented.
Many viewers have argued that the treatment Kerley received reflects systemic issues of racial bias and excessive force in law enforcement.
“Olympic gold means nothing in America. You’re still a Black man. This is beyond disturbing,” one X user wrote. Another added, “This is the most damning footage. Those cops need identifying and charged.”
According to the police report, Kerley approached the perimeter of a police scene near his parked car and was told to go around. Police claim that he went on to ignore their instructions, attempted to push past officers, and brushed aside a hand raised to stop him.
The report states that four officers struggled to restrain him, with one delivering “multiple hammer fists” to his head and back before using a stun gun.
The body camera footage shows Kerley shouting, “I’m not resisting, get off of me, bro,” as officers pinned him to the ground. His girlfriend, who was present, repeatedly screamed, “He didn’t do anything! We were walking to our car!”
Here is the body cam footage of Fred Kerley ???????? being arrested.
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) January 3, 2025
He was tasered.pic.twitter.com/QDMrOBuN4T
The incident has raised questions of racial bias on the part of the officers, and many pointed out that Kerley’s status as an Olympic athlete could not even save him from “police brutality.”
Kerley’s fans argue that the treatment he faced reflects a broader problem faced by Black Americans, regardless of their achievements or social standing.
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Fred Kerley is yet to comment on the situation and court records show he had not yet retained an attorney as of Friday, January 3.
