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Sha’Carri Richardson, an Olympic gold medalist, was recently taken into custody for reportedly assaulting her boyfriend.
The incident occurred at the Seattle Tacoma Airport where an officer was alerted by a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) supervisor about a disturbance involving Richardson and her boyfriend, Christian Coleman, as per the police report obtained by The Associated Press.
It is alleged that Richardson grabbed Coleman’s backpack, shoved him into a wall, and was captured on surveillance cameras during the altercation.
Sha’Carri Richardson competing in the Women’s 100 meters semifinal at the 2020 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials in Eugene, Oregon on June 19, 2021. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
According to the report, Richardson also appeared to throw an item, possibly headphones, at Coleman, who declined to further participate in the investigation.
Richardson, 25, was then booked into the South Correctional Entity (SCORE) in Des Moines, Washington, on Sunday evening and was released the following Monday.
Notably, this is not Richardson’s first airport-related controversy, as she was previously removed from a flight in 2023 following an altercation with a flight attendant.
Sha’Carri Richardson competing in the Women’s 100 meters during the Weltklasse Zurich 2022 in Zurich, Switzerland on September 8, 2022. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)
During her career, Richardson has achieved significant success, winning the 100 at the 2023 world championships and securing a silver medal in the same event at the Paris Games. She was also part of the Olympic gold-winning 4×100 relay team.
Her journey to the Olympics was delayed after a suspension for testing positive for cannabis, making her ineligible for the 100 meters in Tokyo four years ago.
Historically, the US had been waiting for a 100-meter Olympic champion, with Marion Jones being the last American woman to achieve this feat in 2000 before being stripped of her medal due to doping violations.
Noah Lyles ended the streak by winning the men’s gold by a narrow margin in 2023.
Sha’carri Richardson of Team United States celebrating during the Women’s 100m Round 1 at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in Paris, France on August 2, 2024. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)
Most recently, Richardson participated in the women’s 100 meters at the U.S. track and field championships in Eugene, Oregon, where she secured an automatic bye to the world championships as the defending champion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
