Olympic sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson and boyfriend and fellow track Olympian Christian Coleman are facing charges for a traffic incident Thursday in Florida.
Ms. Richardson was driving on Florida State Road 429 in the Orlando area, going northbound in a section where the speed limit is 65 mph. An Orange County Sheriff’s Office deputy accused her in an affidavit of driving over 100 mph and aggressively changing lanes to get around a slower SUV in the left lane.
In the affidavit, the deputy said Ms. Richardson claimed that “her back tire was underinflated as the reason for her speed. When I stated that she was driving with defective equipment, she explained that the car was new and that she did not mean to go the speed she was traveling.”
Shortly thereafter, another car driven by Mr. Coleman stopped ahead on the shoulder. He tried to walk to Ms. Richardson’s car and to explain away her driving, but relented and returned to his own car after the deputy told him he could also be arrested.
At that point, a third car driven by yet another Olympian, Twanisha Terry, also stopped in front and came to try and talk to Ms. Richardson, the deputy said in the affidavit. The cop wrote citations for both Ms. Terry and Mr. Coleman for parking on a limited-access highway.
Ms. Terry complied with a request for identification, but Mr. Coleman refused, asking for a supervisor and an explanation of the situation.
The deputy then handcuffed and arrested him. In the affidavit, the cop also claimed that other responding officers found a glass pipe used to smoke marijuana in the center console of Mr. Coleman’s car.
Ms. Terry was issued only a citation, and she left the area as instructed after taking Ms. Richardson’s purses, according to the affidavit.
Both Ms. Richardson and Mr. Coleman bonded out of custody.
Ms. Richardson is charged with dangerous and excessive speeding, a second-degree misdemeanor. Mr. Coleman is charged with resisting an officer without violence and possession of drug paraphernalia, both first-degree misdemeanors, according to court records.
Ms. Richardson is due in court on Feb. 25, Mr. Coleman the next day.
