Olympic gold medalist Sha’Carri Richardson found herself in handcuffs Thursday afternoon after a high-speed encounter with law enforcement that ended with the star sprinter in tears.
Bodycam footage released by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office shows a confrontation between the 25-year-old athlete and Sgt. Gerald McDaniels.
According to deputies, Richardson was clocked doing 104 mph in her Aston Martin through a 65-mph zone. The officer noted that he had to hit 110 mph just to catch up to the luxury sports car, which was reportedly weaving through traffic and flashing its lights at other drivers.
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When confronted at her window, a panicked Richardson offered several explanations for the excessive speed. She pointed to a low-pressure warning on her rear tire and suggested her phone had slipped, accidentally hitting the settings on the car that caused it to accelerate.
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Sgt. McDaniels was quick to dismiss the excuses, pointing out that she had even passed a vehicle on the inside shoulder with her hazard lights on.
The situation escalated quickly as Richardson realized she was being arrested for dangerous excessive speeding.
“I really do not want to go to jail,” she sobbed, pleading with the officer while insisting she had no intention of breaking the law. Despite her appeals and claims of being a law-abiding citizen, she was taken into custody and booked into the Orange County Jail.
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The incident didn’t just involve Richardson. Her boyfriend and fellow Team USA sprinter, Christian Coleman, was also arrested during the stop. Court records show Coleman faces charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and resisting an officer without violence.
This marks a difficult stretch for the couple, who were previously involved in a domestic violence incident at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport last July.
To round out the scene, a third Olympic sprinter, Twanisha Terry, was issued a citation. Terry reportedly pulled over on the highway to check on her teammates, resulting in a ticket for stopping on a limited-access roadway.
Richardson now faces a charge of dangerous excessive speeding at 100 mph or more, along with four additional civil traffic infractions.
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