Why Christian Coleman Was Arrested on 3 Charges After Sha'Carri Richardson Incident as Twanisha Terry Walked Free

American Olympic sprinter Christian Coleman was arrested on Thursday and is facing multiple charges, including resisting an officer, following a traffic stop involving his girlfriend, fellow track star Sha’Carri Richardson.

According to a police affidavit from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department in Florida, the incident began when Sha’Carri Richardson was pulled over for excessive speeding.

Christian Coleman, the 60m world record holder, arrived at the scene in a separate vehicle and allegedly interfered with the stop.

Police reported that Christian Coleman got out of his car and began defending Richardson in an attempt to keep her from going to jail.

An officer instructed Christian Coleman to return to his vehicle multiple times, warning him that he would be arrested if he failed to comply.

The affidavit states that Christian Coleman refused to leave the scene even after being told it was a "criminal investigation." The situation escalated when another Olympic sprinter, Twanisha Terry, arrived and approached Sha’Carri Richardson.

The officer ordered Twanisha Terry to return to her car or face arrest. Due to their refusal to stay away from Richardson's vehicle, both Christian Coleman and Twanisha Terry were cited for stopping on a limited-access highway.

While Twanisha Terry complied with the officer's request for identification and was released, Coleman reportedly refused and demanded to speak with a supervisor.

He was subsequently arrested for resisting an officer. A search of Coleman's car allegedly uncovered a glass pipe containing a "small amount of green leafy plant material" in the centre console, leading to a charge of possession of drug paraphernalia.

Christian Coleman was also cited for having a registration that had expired for over six months. He was issued a $1,000 bond and has an arraignment scheduled for February 26.

Sha’Carri Richardson, 25, was initially stopped for driving over 104 mph on a state road, where she was observed "dangerously tailgating and travelling across lanes of travel to pass other motorists," according to the police report.

Body camera footage showed her Aston Martin reaching 103 mph before being pulled over. She was charged with "Dangerous Excessive Speeding" and received citations for failing to dim her lights, following too closely, and failing to move over.

During the stop, Sha’Carri Richardson apologised and claimed she "didn't know her car was speeding," suggesting her phone may have accidentally changed the vehicle's driving mode. She was released on a $500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on February 25.

This marks Richardson's second arrest since July 2025, when she was taken into custody following an argument with Coleman at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Christian Coleman declined to press charges in that incident. The 2024 Olympic gold medalist later apologised on social media, stating she was holding herself accountable for her actions.