Sha'Carri Richardson arrest: Christian Coleman reacts to domestic violence incident at Seattle airport

Christian Coleman offered his first comments after the arrest of girlfriend Sha’Carri Richardson following a domestic dispute. Richardson faced a fourth-degree domestic violence assault offense, according to the report.

The offense was the lowest degree of severity in Washington State, according to LetsRun.com, which first reported the news. Coleman, who is also a track athlete, gave his response to the situation on Sunday.

“I don’t feel as if she should have been arrested,” Coleman said. “People have expressions and emotions and stuff like that. She has things that she needs to work on for herself of course, and so do I. So do you. Everybody. I’m the type of guy that I’m in the business of extending mercy and extending grace and extending love. I feel as if I’m not trying to look at obstacles either.

“I look at situations like this to just take a step back, analyze and then just try to see what you can do to be your best self so you can move forward and be the type of person that God needs you to be for his kingdom and his glory.”

Christian Coleman addresses the altercation between him and Sha’Carri, saying he doesn’t believe she should’ve been arrested and the situation was blown out of proportion.

Full Interview: https://t.co/ML395GOsIP pic.twitter.com/OVCpqoac4o

— Serenity Douglas (@_serenityd) August 3, 2025

More on the arrest of Sha’Carri Richardson

The incident occurred at a TSA security checkpoint, according to The Athletic. An officer said Richardson and Coleman got into a heated argument, and Richardson allegedly shoved Coleman multiple times when he started walking away. There was also security camera footage, per the reports, and LetsRun.com added Richardson allegedly threw her headphones at Coleman.

The officer said the shove gave probable cause to arrest Richardson. However, Coleman refused to press charges, and the reports said he “declined to be a victim.”

In the police report, Coleman told the officer Richardson has been his girlfriend for two years, according to The Athletic. The two star sprinters recently publicly confirmed their relationship in February, confirming rumors on social media.

Richardson won her first gold medal at the 2025 Paris Olympics as part of the 4×100-meter relay. Team USA – which included Melissa Jefferson, Twanisha Terry and Gabby Thomas, with Richardson as the anchor – clocked in at 41.78 seconds. The end of the race also created a viral moment as Richardson appeared to stare back at Great Britain’s Daryll Neita, though she denied it was a staredown.

Richardson also competed in the women’s 100-meter dash in Paris. She finished second in the event, bringing home a silver medal.

Richardson previously qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but a urine sample showed recent cannabis use. As a result, she was not eligible to participate, meaning Paris was her first appearance in the Olympics.