Police watchdog won’t investigate Met after sprinter pulled over again in London
The police watchdog will not investigate a complaint against the Metropolitan Police after stopping Portuguese sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos for the second time.The 27-year-old athlete was pulled over by police in west London earlier this month when officers thought he was using his phone while driving.
Scotland Yard made a voluntary referral to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) over the stop, but the complaint has been sent back to the Met Police.The police watchdog added that Mr Dos Santos has been told about the update.In a statement on Thursday, the Met Police said officers had “clearly indicated” for the car to pull over but it “failed to do so”, after which they called for further assistance.
“The driver stopped about five minutes later in Orsett Terrace W2, and the officers spoke to him about why they wanted to stop the vehicle,” the force said.”Following the conversation, the vehicle was allowed on its way.”
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The sprinter posted dashcam footage of the incident on Twitter, accusing the force of over-policing due to the presence of seven armed police officers.In the videos, a police car is seen stopping and flashing its blue lights in front of Mr Dos Santos, after which he drove around the car and stopped some minutes later.
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In a second clip, a police officer is seen running up to the runner’s car door, drawing a baton, apparently preparing to smash the window.Mr Dos Santos later said that the does not feel safe driving in London, after he was pulled over for the second time by the force.
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Dos Santos and his partner, Bianca Williams, were handcuffed by police in 2020
The athlete and his partner, Bianca Williams, who is a Team GB athlete, were stopped while driving their baby in Maida Vale, west London in 2020.Ms Williams later accused the police of racially profiling them.An acting police sergeant and four constables are facing gross misconduct disciplinary hearings after the incident, which saw the couple handcuffed and the baby’s details stored in a police database.An IOPC spokesperson said: “Having assessed a referral from the MPS of a complaint relating to a vehicle stop in Orsett Terrace, west London, on 14 August, we notified the MPS last week that the matter does not require investigation by the IOPC.”
The police watchdog will not investigate a complaint against the Metropolitan Police after stopping Portuguese sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos for the second time.
The 27-year-old athlete was pulled over by police in west London earlier this month when officers thought he was using his phone while driving.
Scotland Yard made a voluntary referral to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) over the stop, but the complaint has been sent back to the Met Police.
The police watchdog added that Mr Dos Santos has been told about the update.
In a statement on Thursday, the Met Police said officers had “clearly indicated” for the car to pull over but it “failed to do so”, after which they called for further assistance.
“The driver stopped about five minutes later in Orsett Terrace W2, and the officers spoke to him about why they wanted to stop the vehicle,” the force said.
“Following the conversation, the vehicle was allowed on its way.”
The sprinter posted dashcam footage of the incident on Twitter, accusing the force of over-policing due to the presence of seven armed police officers.
In the videos, a police car is seen stopping and flashing its blue lights in front of Mr Dos Santos, after which he drove around the car and stopped some minutes later.
In a second clip, a police officer is seen running up to the runner’s car door, drawing a baton, apparently preparing to smash the window.
Mr Dos Santos later said that the does not feel safe driving in London, after he was pulled over for the second time by the force.
The athlete and his partner, Bianca Williams, who is a Team GB athlete, were stopped while driving their baby in Maida Vale, west London in 2020.
Ms Williams later accused the police of racially profiling them.
An acting police sergeant and four constables are facing gross misconduct disciplinary hearings after the incident, which saw the couple handcuffed and the baby’s details stored in a police database.
An IOPC spokesperson said: “Having assessed a referral from the MPS of a complaint relating to a vehicle stop in Orsett Terrace, west London, on 14 August, we notified the MPS last week that the matter does not require investigation by the IOPC.”
