Police watchdog will not investigate Met Police after sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos arrives in London for second time | UK News
The police watchdog will not investigate a complaint filed with the Metropolitan Police after stopping Portuguese sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos a second time.
The 27-year-old athlete has was pulled over by the police in west London earlier this month when officers assumed he was using his phone while driving.
Scotland Yard was voluntarily referred to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) upon the shutdown, but the complaint was returned to the Met Police.
The police watchdog added that Mr. Dos Santos had been informed of the update.
In a statement on Thursday, the Met Police said officers had “clearly indicated” for the vehicle to be pulled over but it “failed to do so”, they then appealed for further assistance.
“The driver stopped about five minutes later at Orsett Terrace W2, and officers spoke to him about why they wanted to stop the vehicle,” the force said.
“After the conversation, the car was allowed to go.”
The sprinter posted dashcam footage of the incident on Twitter, accusing the force of overdoing security due to the presence of seven armed policemen.
In the videos, a police car is seen stopping and flashing a green light in front of Mr Dos Santos, then he drives around the vehicle and stops a few minutes later.
In the second clip, an officer is seen running to the runner’s car door, pulling his baton, appearing to be about to smash the window.
Mr Dos Santos later said the man did not feel safe driving in London, after he was pulled over a second time by police.
Dos Santos and his partner, Bianca Williams, handcuffed by police in 2020
The athlete and his teammate, Bianca Williams, a Team GB athlete, was stopped while driving their baby in Maida Vale, west London in 2020.
Ms Williams later accused the police of racist abuse against them.
An acting police sergeant and four officers are facing disciplinary hearings over serious misconduct following the incident, which saw the couple in handcuffs and details of The baby is stored in the police database.
An IOPC spokesperson said: “Following a referral from the MPS for a complaint regarding a vehicle stop at Orsett Terrace, west London, on 14 August, we have notified the MPS last week that the matter did not require investigation by the IOPC.”
