National

Team USA sprinter Fred Kerley arrested for battery in Florida ahead of Grand Slam Track Event

Diamond League Silesia. 2024 Kamila Skolimowska Memorial. Fred Kerley of the United States competes in the Men's 100 meters during the Diamond League Silesia, Kamila Skolimowska Memorial in Chorzow, Poland, on August 25, 2024. (Photo by Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images) (NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Fred Kerley, an Olympic sprinter and member of Team USA, has been arrested for battery in Florida ahead of the Grand Slam Track event in Miami this weekend.

According to the Broward County police department, Kerley was booked in jail on Thursday and charged with battery involving a touch or strike. He was placed on $1,000 bond; as of Friday afternoon, his bond is pending.

Kerley was arrested after allegedly striking a woman with a closed fist, according to a police report obtained by USA TODAY. Kerley encountered the woman, who identified herself to police as Kerley's ex-girlfriend, at his hotel ahead of this weekend's event.

Per USA TODAY, Kerley became hostile and said that he was "going to f*** up everyone up in here," before allegedly striking the woman in the face, causing a bloody nose.

In a statement to USA TODAY, Grand Slam Track confirmed that Kerley would not be competing in the event this weekend. Kerley was set to compete in the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes; he has since been removed from list of racers in those events on Grand Slam Track's website.

Kerley lawyer, Richard L. Cooper, told USA TODAY that he believes that the case "lacks merit and will be dismissed."

Kerley, 29, is a decorated sprinter with multiple gold medals from the World Athletics Championships. He won a silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics in the 100-meter dash, and won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

This is the second time this year that Kerley has gotten into legal trouble: The sprinter was arrested for battery in early January after a confrontation with police in Miami Beach. According to the police report, Kerley allegedly tried to pass through a police scene to get to his car when police, who described his behavior as "aggressive" in the police report, wrestled him to the ground and later Tasered him before placing him in handcuffs.

Kerley has also been charged with domestic battery on an unrelated case from 2024; he has plead not guilty to both cases.



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