‘He didn’t do anything.’ DJ girlfriend of Olympic sprinter cuffed after his own arrest
As Olympic medalist Fredrick Kerley sat handcuffed on the ground after being punched and tased during his Miami Beach arrest, he watched his girlfriend, reality television star and DJ Cleo Rahman, also be whisked away in handcuffs.
The TV personality known as DJ Sky High Baby was out with her Olympian boyfriend in South Beach on Thursday. As the pair returned to their car, they noticed an active police investigation had blocked them in.
According to an arrest affidavit, Kerley approached the police scene around 11:22 p.m. to ask about his car.
Kerley, according to police, had an “aggressive demeanor” and ignored orders to move onto the sidewalk. Officers say he argued with them and, at one point, tried to force his way through. Rahman, according to the report, tried to pull him away.
Body-camera footage obtained by the Miami Herald shows Kerley upset and speaking with officers before turning away. An officer approached, placed a hand on his chest, and Kerley tried to brush the hand off, prompting the officer to shove him.
A scuffle ensued, with officers struggling to restrain Kerley. The body-camera officer fell to the ground and rolled away. The footage then shows multiple officers pinning Kerley down, with the same officer delivering “multiple hammer fists” and elbows to his head and ribs, according to the affidavit.
“That’s my boyfriend”
In the background, a distressed Rahman can be seen yelling at the officers to stop and that Kerley “didn’t do anything.” At one point, the officers step back, and the one who delivered several punches to Kerley then shot him with a stun gun, causing Kerley to collapse. He was put in handcuffs shortly after.
According to her arrest affidavit, Rahman, 32, continued to yell “that’s my boyfriend” and “attempted to pass through the officer barricade.”
Rahman’s yelling and recording of her boyfriend’s arrest eventually led officers to place her under arrest, according to her arrest affidavit, which says she “resisted by stiffening up her arms and pulling away in an attempt to flee.” She was charged with misdemeanor resisting officers without violence. She uploaded a video on her Instagram story of the moments leading up to her arrest showing her surrounded by officers telling them that she and Kerley were trying to get to their car.
Kerley’s attorney, Richard L. Cooper, described the arrest as brutal, saying it was far from how Kerley should have been treated.
“Fred Kerley has inspired millions through his incredible athletic talent, he’s raised millions for charities, and he has brought home silver and bronze medals on behalf of our country, but in Miami Beach, he is just considered another Black man,” Cooper told the Herald. “It’s not the first time I’ve seen a law-abiding Black man be brutalized by Miami Beach police.”
Rahman told NBC6 that she and Kerley were just trying to have a fun night and said she believes the officers went overboard with Kerley’s arrest.
“There was no reason or no type of aggression the police officer should have given him for him to have to respond like he did,” she told the TV station.
‘Halo Law’ could have been used, but was not
Florida’s new “Halo Law,” effective Jan. 1, makes it a jailable offense to stand within 25 feet of a first responder after a verbal warning to back off. Violators face up to 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.
READ MORE: Florida’s new law shields responders; critics say it’s aimed at curbing videos of cops
While the circumstances of Kerley’s and Rahman’s arrest appear to fit the bill, they did not receive the second-degree misdemeanor charge for disobeying the buffer law.
“The defendant’s actions took several officers to divert their attention from assisting the officers to deal with her,” Rahman’s arrest affidavit read. According to officers, Kerley was obstructing their investigation and was told to step away.
“This situation is a perfect example as to why that law is so important and why it was signed into legislation,” Miami Beach Police Officer Christopher Bess told the Herald.
READ MORE: Olympian punched by Miami Beach cops strangled wife months earlier, cops say
Zeus Network star
DJ Sky High Baby hails from Baltimore and maintains an active presence on social media, sharing her work and personal life with over 700,000 followers on Instagram.
She has made appearances on multiple Zeus Network reality TV shows including “Baddies West” where she served as the official DJ.
In 2017 she released her first mixtape on Soundcloud called “24k The Gold Tape” and also developed a friendship with rapper Yung Thug, “who supported her career and allowed her to drop his newest music on her mixtapes and/or dj sets,” according to her website.
“Dj Sky hopes to become the next international big name in the dj industry djing at music festivals, appearing on the big screen and expanding her network with other major residencies,” her website reads.