MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - An Olympic sprinter for Team USA was hauled away in handcuffs and taken to jail after a confrontation with police officers in South Beach, according to authorities.
According to Miami Beach Police, 29-year-old Frederick Kerley approached the scene of an active police investigation on the 100 block of Ninth Street, between Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive, late Thursday night.
Police said Kerley expressed concerns about his parked vehicle nearby, in the process interfering with a crime scene.
Shortly after, detectives said, the athlete became increasingly aggressive and refused to get back or get away when asked by officers.
Despite attempts to de-escalate the situation, Kerley assumed a fighting stance and ignored lawful commands, leading to his resistance during the arrest, detectives said.
Officer-worn body camera video captured Kerley, wearing a light gray hoodie, appearing to resist being taken into custody, at 11:22 p.m.
Emergency backup was called.
“I heard the sirens,” said Mitch Novick, the owner of the Sherbrooke Hotel on Collins Avenue and Ninth Street.
Surveillance video captured officers as they rushed in.
“I sense it’s going to be a very good year,” said Novick.
When Kerley, who stands 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighs over 200 pounds, tried to get into his car, police said, officers deployed a Taser to subdue him.
Kerley was subsequently taken into custody without further incident.
Kerley’s girlfriend, Cleo Rahman, was arrested for allegedly resisting arrest. Cellphone video captured officers taking her away, as well as another vantage point of officers placing Kerley in handcuffs. One officer is seen appearing to punch Kerley multiple times.
7News caught up with Rahman hours later, after she bonded out of jail. Rahman, who starred in the reality TV series “Bad Girls Club,” showed cellphone video of her boyfriend’s arrest.
“And they Tased him, hit with with the Taser. Look, as soon as he tries to get up,” she said.
Rahman also described her own confrontation with officers.
“[An officer] pushed my hand out of the way, and when I tried to pull back, they arrested me,” she said. “I was literally recoding because he’s an athlete, and I didn’t want anything to happen to him, and if something did happen to him, I wanted to make sure that I had the footage.”
“He is an athlete. Please do not mess with him!” Rahman was heard telling officers in the bodycam video.
Kerley faces charges of battery on a police officer, corrections officer or firefighter, resisting an officer without violence and disorderly conduct.
He appeared before Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Mindy S. Glazer on Friday afternoon.
“Was there any responsibility on behalf of the police for the way they treated him?” said Glazer. “Hopefully there’s video and bodycam that will show what happened.”
The judge appeared the take a shot at Miami Beach Police.
“This could have been handled a different way, and I don’t know if the officers in Miami Beach are busy handling a lot of complicated crime scenes,” she said.
Miami Beach Fraternal Order of Police President Bobby Hernandez cracked back, citing additional domestic violence charges, stemming from an incident back in May.
Investigators said Miami-Dade Police were looking for Kerley in connection to these domestic crimes. He was charged for these crimes after he was brought to jail.
In a statement, Hernandez wrote:
“I am very disappointed that Judge Mindy Glazer did not look at our officer’s body-worn cameras before she acted more like a defense attorney at the bond hearing than an unbiased judge.”
Kerley, a decorated sprinter and gold medalist in the 4×400 meter relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is known for his achievements on the track. He was the Olympic silver medalist over 100 meters at the 2020 Olympics and the bronze medalist in the same event at the 2024 Olympics.
Kerley remains behind bars. He is expected to appear in court again on Saturday.
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