A sportsman who was allegedly racially profiled during a stop-and-frisk two years ago has said he was pulled over for a second time by “seven armed officers” as he drove home to London at the weekend.
Portuguese sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos posted a series of tweets and video footage of himself being detained and questioned by police.
Dos Santos said officers believed he was on the phone when they pulled him over and claimed one officer pulled his baton out of his pocket “out of frustration ready to break the glass” after not knowing how to open the Tesla car’s door .
He said “nothing has changed” since he was retired more than two years ago with his partner, Bianca Williams, and their daughter.
“I’m not surprised I have to go through this again,” he wrote in a tweet. “Driving home last night 7 armed @metpoliceuk officers stopped me because they thought I was on my phone while driving. At their request I pulled over when it was safe to do so.
“After stopping, two officers ran to either side of the car, a closed fist pounded on my window and tried to open the car door. Not knowing how to use a Tesla handle, he pulled out his baton in frustration ready to break the glass.
“Many that 2 years later nothing has changed but they still manage to outmaneuver the police. Why do 7 armed officers have to be present when I was alone? 2 or 3 max would have been enough.”
Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning
Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertisements and content funded by third parties. For more information see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
He later said that he had only shared part of the footage on social media as the rest is with his lawyer.
In July 2020, images of Williams and Dos Santos being searched and handcuffed were widely shared on social media, and Williams later accused police of racially profiling them.
Following the search, details of the couple’s three-month-old baby were also stored on a police database called Merlin, which is used to record information about children known to authorities.
In April, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said a serving police sergeant and four police officers would face a disciplinary hearing for serious misconduct over the incident.
The Met said this weekend’s stop took place because they were “concerned the driver may be using a mobile phone at the wheel”.
In a statement, the force said: “We are aware of images on social media showing part of a car stop. At around 04.00 on Sunday 14 August, armed officers were on routine patrol in a police vehicle signaled
“They saw a car traveling eastbound on the A40 Westway and were concerned the driver may be using a mobile phone behind the wheel.
“The officers clearly signaled the car to stop but it did not and they called for further assistance. The driver stopped about five minutes later at Orsett Terrace W2 and the officers spoke to him about why they wanted to stop the vehicle .
“Following the conversation, the vehicle was allowed to drive. We have since contacted the driver via Twitter to invite him to contact us if he wishes to discuss this matter further.”