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Bodycam footage obtained by Pakinomist Digital showed Olympic gold medal sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson “begging” an officer not to arrest her after she was caught driving recklessly.
Sgt. Gerald McDaniels, who was driving in the center lane, saw the Olympian flash her bright lights at the car in front of her and reported that Richardson’s Aston Martin topped 104 mph on State Road 429 near Stoneybrook Parkway in Winter Garden, Florida. The officer reached speeds of at least 110 mph to catch up.
“I wanted to wipe that smile off your face,” the sergeant told Richardson as he approached her passenger window. “You are stopped for dangerous, speeding.”
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Sha’Carri Richardson of Team United States looks on after failing to qualify for the final during the women’s 100 meters semifinal on day two of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 at the National Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Richardson said her rear tire was at 29 PSI and her phone slipped, changing modes in her car and causing her to speed up. That didn’t please McDaniels.
“You’re driving 104 miles per hour in a 65 kilometer per hour zone with under-paired equipment, flashing people to get out of your lane, following too close, using every lane to pass everyone, cutting me off, passing a car on the inside shoulder with your hazard lights on. You’re going to jail for excessive dangerous speed,” he said.
Richardson replied that she didn’t know she was speeding, to which the sergeant replied, “That’s why they give you a speedometer.”
“I’m a law-abiding citizen, sir,” said Richardson, who was arrested for assaulting her boyfriend, Olympic sprinter Christian Coleman, last year, kicked off a 2023 flight and banned from the Tokyo Olympics because of a positive marijuana test.
Gold medalist Sha’Carri Richardson of Team United States celebrates with the national flag after competing in the women’s 4×100 meter relay final on day nine of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 at the National Stadium on September 21, 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
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After some back and forth, the officer’s decision was final and reality set in for Richardson, who said there was “no intention” for her to break the law.
“Please sir. I really didn’t drive on purpose. Sir, please. I’m begging you,” Richardson said. “Don’t take me to jail. I’ll do anything. Please, sir. I promise you, I don’t want to go to jail, I’m right here.”
The police report, also obtained by Pakinomist Digital, said Coleman showed up to the scene and was arrested for resisting after refusing to identify himself. It was found that his car had smoking equipment. Another sprinter, Twanisha Terry, also arrived.
Richardson and Coleman moved past their problem last year, which occurred at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on July 27, just a week before the U.S. track and field championships. Coleman denied being a victim in the case, a police report said, and made it clear he wanted to move on from the “Swiss situation.”
Richardson has an Olympic gold medal from the 2024 4×100 meters relay in Paris, and she won the 100 meters at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Both Richardson and Coleman won world titles in 2023 and 2025 in their respective 4×100.
Christian Coleman and Sha’Carri Richardson pose for portraits during a studio photo session on the sidelines of the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on September 21, 2025. (Andre J Isakovic/AFP via Getty Images)
Richardson settled for silver in the 100 meters in Paris, while Coleman is still waiting for an Olympic medal – he won the 100 and 4×100 at the 2019 world championships.
