Police watchdog says it WON’T probe Met officers for stopping Black Olympic athlete Ricardo Dos Santos while driving in London – two years after he and his partner were ‘racially profiled’ in stop and search

• Sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos was pulled over by seven armed police officers
• The Met said officers were ‘concerned the driver may be using a mobile phone’ 
• Mr Dos Santos said an officer took his baton out of his pocket ‘out of frustration ready to smash the glass’ after not knowing how to open the car door of his Tesla
• The Independent Office for Police Conduct has decided it will not investigate 
• The athlete said that ‘nothing had changed’ two years after he was pulled over with his partner, Bianca Williams, and their child, by police officers

The police watchdog has said it does not need to investigate an incident in which a black Olympic athlete was pulled over by seven armed police, two years after he was allegedly racially profiled during a stop and search.

Sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos said he was pulled over for a second time by seven armed police officers while driving home in London on Sunday 14 August.

The Olympian published a series of tweets and video footage of him being pulled over and questioned by police on the Sunday morning.

The Met recorded the footage as a formal complaint and referred it to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to public interest around it. 

But the watchdog has now decided it will not look into the matter, which will now be referred back to the Met for investigation.

The force said in a statement: ‘At about 04.00hours on Sunday, 14 August, armed officers were on routine patrol in a marked police vehicle.

‘They saw a car travelling eastbound on the A40 Westway and were concerned the driver may be using a mobile phone at the wheel.

‘The officers clearly indicated for the car to pull over but it failed to do so and 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.

‘Following the conversation, the vehicle was allowed on its way.’

After the incident, Mr Dos Santos said that officers believed he was on his phone when they stopped him, and claimed one officer took his baton out of his pocket ‘out of frustration ready to smash the glass’ after not knowing how to open the door of his Tesla.

He added that ‘nothing had changed’ two years after he was pulled over with his partner, Bianca Williams, and their child.

Mr Dos Santos said in a series of tweets: ‘Not surprised I had to go through this again. 

Mr Dos Santos claimed one officer took his baton out of his pocket ‘out of frustration ready to smash the glass’ after not knowing how to open the car door of his Tesla

Sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos said he was pulled over for a second time by seven armed police officers while driving home in London

The athlete added that ‘nothing had changed’ two years after he was pulled over with his partner, Bianca Williams (pictured), and their child

‘Whilst driving home last night seven armed @metpoliceuk officers stopped me because they thought I was on my phone whilst driving. At their request I pulled over when safe to do so.

‘After I stopped two officers ran towards either side of the car, one fist clenched banged on my window and tried opening the car door. 

‘Not knowing how to use a Tesla handle he took out his baton out of frustration ready to smash the glass.

‘Annoyed that two years down nothing has changed but they still manage to over police. Why do seven armed officers need to be present when I was alone. Two or three max would of been enough.’

Mr Dos Santos said that ‘two or three’ police officers would have ‘been enough’, as opposed to seven

He later said he had only shared part of the footage on social media as the rest is with his lawyer.

In July 2020, footage of Ms Williams and Mr Dos Santos being searched and handcuffed was widely shared on social media, with Ms Williams later accusing the police of racially profiling them.

After the search, details of the couple’s three-month-old baby were also stored on a police database called Merlin, used to record information on children who become known to the authorities.

In April, police watchdog body the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said an acting police sergeant and four police constables will all face a gross misconduct disciplinary hearing over the incident.

A police car pulls in front of Mr Dos Santos as he drives in London on Sunday morning

In response to the incident on Sunday 14 August, the Met confirmed that the stop took place as they were ‘concerned the driver may be using a mobile phone at the wheel’. Pictured, footage captured by Mr Dos Santos

Mr Dos Santos and Ms Williams pictured during an interview with the BBC following the first incident in Maida Vale, west London, on July 4, 2020

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