FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — An Olympic track medalist is charged in Florida with punching a woman, a hurdler who also competed in the Olympics.
An arrest report from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office states that on Thursday, Fred Kerley, 29, is accused of striking Alaysha Johnson with a closed fist at a hotel close to Fort Lauderdale. Kerley now faces a misdemeanor battery charge due to the incident, which resulted in Johnson sustaining a bloody nose.
Kerley, known for winning a silver medal in the 100-meter race during the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and securing a bronze in the same event at the Paris Olympics in 2024, was with Johnson, who also competed in these games. The report highlights their past relationship and indicates a heated disagreement arose at their Florida hotel where they were lodging prior to a local track meet.
Kerley’s lawyer, Richard Cooper, mentioned in an email on Saturday that Kerley is unfairly targeted, leading to baseless claims made by “intense and occasionally envious competitors.”
“We ask the public not to rush to judgment as the exculpatory facts eventually come to light,” Cooper said. “Fred looks forward to getting back to competing and away from distractions as his legal team works to resolve these accusations.”
It’s not Kerley’s first brush with the law. This comes just a few months after he was arrested for allegedly punching a Miami Beach police officer on Jan 2., an incident in which police used a Taser on him. He was also charged in May with domestic battery against his wife, according to court records.
His lawyers say he is innocent of those charges as well.
