Why was Sha'Carri Richardson reportedly arrested before USATF Nationals? Everything about incident involving her boyfriend Christian Coleman

In an unfortunate turn of events, Sha'Carri Richardson was arrested on Sunday, July 27, at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for domestic violence ahead of her participation in the 2025 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships that commenced on Thursday, July 31. According to the reports, she was arrested for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend and fellow sprinter Christian Coleman.

According to the police report from the Port of Seattle Police Department, on Sunday, security footage at the airport showed Richardson and Coleman getting involved in a heated argument. The report confirmed that the police went through the airport security footage and found Richardson following Coleman while he appeared to be walking away from her.

She was later seen pushing the fellow sprinter into a column. As Coleman tried to stay away from her, she kept bumping into him several times. The report stated Richardson also allegedly threw headphones at him. The incident caught on a security camera was the police's probable cause to arrest Richardson on a charge of domestic violence assault.

Although Coleman refused to book charges and “declined to be a victim, the Paris Olympics medalist was booked at the South Correctional Entity in Des Moines, Washington, on Sunday and released the following day. The case has now been cleared.

Sha'Carri Richardson withdraws from the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships

Sha'Carri Richardson during the 2025 USATF Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Getty Images)

Sha'Carri Richardson has withdrawn from competing in the rest of the 2025 USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships, which are currently held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. She earned the qualification to compete in the semifinals of the 100m after her heat race.

The Olympian settled in second place in her heats after clocking 11.07 seconds. The National Championships are serving as the qualifying event for the 2025 World Athletics Championships, where Richardson was poised to defend her 100m title. The sprinter has earned a bye into the 100 at this year’s edition as the defending champion.

However, the American sprinter had yet to earn qualification for the 200m, the heats of which were scheduled on Saturday, August 3. Richardson has also pulled out from competing in the 200m.

Christian Coleman, meanwhile, participated in the 100m preliminary round and clinched a spot for the next round after posting 10.08 seconds. He then competed in the semifinal round and clocked 9.94 seconds to make an appearance in the final round.

Edited by Samya Majumdar