Fred Kerley, an Olympic sprinter and member of Team USA, has been arrested for battery in Florida ahead of a Grand Slam Track event in Miami this weekend.
According to the Broward County police department, Kerley was booked 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 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 Kerley would not be competing in the event this weekend. Kerley was set to compete in the 100-meters and 200-meters; he has since been removed from the list of racers in those events on Grand Slam Track’s website.
Kerley’s lawyer, Richard L. Cooper, told USA TODAY he believes the case “lacks merit and will be dismissed.”
Kerley, 29, is a decorated sprinter who won multiple gold medals at the World Athletics Championships. He won a silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics in the 100-meter dash and a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This is the second time this year 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 pleaded not guilty to both cases.
