U.S. Olympic sprinter Christian Coleman was arrested Thursday and is facing charges in connection with girlfriend Sha’Carri Richardson’s traffic stop for excessive speeding, according to a police affidavit obtained by The Athletic from the Orange County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Department.
Coleman, 29, is facing charges of resisting an officer and possession of drug paraphernalia after police searched his car and allegedly found a glass pipe with a “small amount of green leafy plant material.”
Police said Coleman’s involvement began when he pulled over in a separate car near the traffic stop. The officer said Coleman initially waited outside his vehicle, but later interjected himself into the scene and “started defending” Richardson “in an attempt to keep her from going to jail.” According to the report, the officer instructed Coleman to remain in his car multiple times and threatened to arrest him if he didn’t do so. Coleman refused to leave the scene after the officer told him that the traffic stop was a “criminal investigation,” according to the affidavit, and Coleman was again directed back to his vehicle.
Another vehicle then arrived at the scene as the officer returned to his car, and the person was later identified as Twanisha Terry. Terry, also an Olympic sprinter, exited her car and approached Richardson to speak with her, but the officer told Terry to return to her vehicle or she “would go to jail.” Due to Coleman and Terry’s refusal to stay away from Richardson’s vehicle, the officer issued a citation to the two track stars for stopping on a limited highway, according to police.
Terry complied with the officer’s request for identification, was issued her citation and released. Coleman didn’t comply and instead requested a supervisor and a detailed explanation of the situation, which the officer said he had already provided, according to the affidavit. Coleman was then arrested for refusing to provide identification and “resisting.” Police began searching his vehicle and allegedly found the glass pipe within the center console.
Coleman was also cited for stopping on a limited-access highway and expired registration over six months (first violation). Richardson was issued citations for dangerous, excessive speeding, failure to dim her lights, following too close and failure to move over.
Representation for Richardson and Coleman, including USA Track & Field, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Richardson, 25, was originally pulled over for traveling more than 104 mph on a state road near Stoneybrook Parkway and “dangerously tailgating and traveling across lanes of travel to pass other motorists,” according to police. She was charged with “Dangerous Excessive Speeding,” which applies when a driver travels at speeds of 100 mph or more.
In police body camera footage reviewed by The Athletic on Friday, Richardson changed lanes in front of a sheriff whose radar gun recorded her speed as over 90 mph. She eventually hit 103 mph in an Aston Martin while passing a few cars and was pulled over moments later. Richardson apologized for excessively speeding and said she “didn’t know her car was speeding,” claiming her phone was sitting on buttons that changed the car’s driving mode.
Coleman was issued a $1,000 bond, and an arraignment hearing is scheduled for Feb. 26, according to Orange County court records. Richardson received a $500 bond and is set to appear in court Feb. 25. Neither is listed as currently incarcerated, indicating they both posted bail and were released.
This is Richardson’s second arrest since July 2025, when she was arrested after a heated argument between her and Coleman at the TSA security checkpoint at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Richardson was held in custody for nearly 19 hours at the SCORE South Correctional Entity, but Coleman refused to press charges.
Richardson, a gold medalist at the 2024 Paris Olympics, apologized a couple of weeks later on Instagram, saying she spent time in “self-reflection,” is “holding herself accountable” for her actions and understands that she “put herself in a compromised situation with someone that she has deep care and appreciation for.”
In 2021, Richardson tested positive for THC, the primary compound found in cannabis, after winning the 100 meters at the Olympic Trials and was stripped of her spot on the 2021 U.S. Olympic team. She later said she used marijuana to help her cope with the news of her mother’s death days before the trials began. USA Track & Field suspended Richardson for one month over the incident.
