It’s been less than a year since Fred Kerley brought home a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. But the ridiculously fast human made news for all the wrong reasons again Thursday.
Kerley was arrested and detained on charges of first-degree battery when he struck Alaysha Johnson, his ex-girlfriend and a fellow Olympian.
Johnson, who like Kerley represented the United States in Paris, was on her way to work out when she ran into Kerley in the Miami suburb of Dania Beach, Florida. She and Kerley began arguing, and Johnson summoned the police after alleging that Kerley had punched her in the face.
According to CBS Miami, Kerley posted $1,000 bond and was told by the judge not to be in contact with Johnson or return to Le Meridien Dania Beach at Fort Lauderdale Airport.
Disputed Facts
Though police stated that Johnson’s injuries were consistent with her story, people on Kerley’s side are disputing her side of the story.
“We ask Fred’s sponsors, fans, and the public for patience and respect as we let the State Attorney conduct his investigation,” Kerley’s attorney Richard Cooper said according to CBS News. “We are confident that this case will be summarily dismissed shortly.”
Fellow sprinter Rae Edwards, who is a friend of Kerley’s, shared his account of the incident on X (formerly Twitter), which caused Kerley’s girlfriend D.J. Sky High Baby to share what she felt happened.
“I was upstairs like, and 2 people came up and privately told me she literally got hit by her boyfriend slow swinging self,” she posted. “Fred and the bf was the altercation.”
According to the police report, Johnson and Kerley had been in a relationship for six months, but it ended in October. Johnson also told police she intended to press charges against Kerley and allowed photos to be taken of her injuries and offered a sworn statement.
The police report declares that the incident happened at the hotel where participants stayed while participating in Friday’s Grand Slam Track event, according to LetsRun.com.
Kerley and Johnson were both in South Florida to race in the event, but Kerley was removed by race officials after the incident. Johnson did race in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, finishing in sixth place.
It Happened Again
Kerley may have returned from Paris as an Olympic medalist, but he has had a tough time staying out of jail since coming back to the states.
The incident with Johnson was the second time Kerley was arrested in South Florida this year. He was tased before being arrested and charged with battery on a police officer and resisting arrest in Miami Beach in January.
Kerley, who pleaded not guilty to those charges, was caught on a police body camera shoving an officer. Like the incident with Johnson, Kerley allegedly became more agitated and assumed a fighting stance before an officer pinned him to the ground, punched him then used his stun gun on him.
“We were simply just trying to get to the car, we weren’t trying to obstruct justice or anything like that,” DJ Sky High Baby told NBC6 in January. “It’s just crazy to the extent that it (took) four police officers to try to detain him.”
Kerley was also accused of domestic violence last May stemming from an incident with his estranged ex-wife Angelica.
US Olympic Medalist Punched Ex-Girlfriend: Police