WINTER GARDEN, Fla. – Body-camera footage shows the traffic stop of world-renowned Olympian Sha’Carri Richardson on State Road 429 in Orange County on Thursday, where deputies said she was pulled over for excessive speeding.
A deputy observed Richardson, 25, driving an Aston Martin at speeds exceeding 100 mph in a 65 mph zone, flashing lights to get other drivers out of her way and making unsafe lane changes, according to an arrest affidavit.
“You’re driving 104 miles an hour in a 65-mile-an-hour zone with sub-par equipment, flashing people to get out of your lane, following too close, using every lane to pass everybody, cutting me off, passing a car on the inside shoulder with their hazard lights on. You’re going to jail for dangerous excessive speeding,” the deputy told Richardson.
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The track star can be heard in the video apologizing profusely.
“I did not mean to do that. My phone, I didn’t even know my car was speeding,” Richardson said.
Despite her pleas, the deputy told her, “That’s why they give you a speedometer. Nothing you say is going to change that. You’re going to jail.”
Minutes after Richardson’s stop, deputies said Christian Coleman, identified as her boyfriend, arrived at the scene in a black Jeep.
According to an arrest affidavit, Coleman was cited for stopping on a limited-access roadway, refused to comply with officers’ instructions, and was arrested for resisting without violence.
During the search of Coleman’s vehicle, deputies said they found a glass smoking device with residue consistent with cannabis use. The device was collected as evidence and led to a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia, the affidavit states.
Twanisha Terry, who also stopped at the scene, was cited for stopping on a limited-access roadway, the affidavit states.
According to the arrest reports, Richardson was charged with dangerous excessive speeding at 104 mph in a 65 mph zone, failure to dim headlights, following too closely, cutting in, and failure to move over. Coleman was charged with resisting an officer without violence, possession of drug paraphernalia, stopping on a limited access roadway, and expired vehicle registration.
Both Richardson and Coleman were taken to the Orange County jail and their vehicles were towed.
Richardson’s excessive-speeding charge stems from a new Florida law passed last year that makes it a criminal offense to drive at 100 mph or more in a manner that endangers people or property.
Richardson obtained prominence after she took gold for the 100m at the 2023 World Championships and the Olympic relay in 2024.
However, the star athlete isn’t without her share of controversies, either.
In 2021, she was barred from running in the Olympic 100m race after she tested positive for a chemical found in cannabis. Just last year, she was arrested after being accused of domestic violence.