Athlete furious when ‘seven’ armed police officers stop him ‘for using phone’ – 2 years after ‘racial profiling’ stop-and-search

A TOP athlete has spoken of his anger after being stopped by “seven” armed police officers – two years after he was allegedly racially profiled during a high-profile search.

Portuguese sprinter Ricardo dos Santos, 27, was driving home in his Tesla on the A40 in London in the early hours of this morning when he was stopped by armed police.

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Police have confirmed they stopped Ricardo in his £57,000 car because they thought he was using his mobile phone.

The athlete claims he was surrounded by “at least” seven officers.

Video shops of one of the cops banging on the window before unrolling his collapsible baton.

Ricardo claims the officer was “aggressive” and “ready to smash the glass.”

After speaking to him, they let Ricardo go his way without taking any further action.

Scotland Yard have told The Sun that armed police were on routine patrol when they saw Ricardo and were “concerned” he might have been using his phone at the wheel and asked him to stop

They said he failed to stop when they reported so they called for backup.

Ricardo claims he stopped as soon as it was safe.

He and his girlfriend Bianca Williams, a Team GB athlete, were the victims of an alleged racist incident back in 2020.

Describing the events of last night on Twitter, Ricardo said: “I wasn’t surprised that I had to go through that all over again.

“Driving home last night seven armed @metpoliceuk officers pulled me over thinking I was on my phone while driving. At her request, I stopped when it was safe to do so.

“After I stopped, two officers ran to either side of the car, a clenched fist banged on my window and tried to open the car door.

“Not knowing how to use a Tesla grip, frustrated, he pulled out his baton, ready to smash the glass.

‘NOTHING HAS CHANGED’

“Upset that after 2 years nothing has changed but they still manage to overpower the police.

“Why does 7 armed officers have to be present when I was alone? A maximum of two or three would have been enough.”

When asked what officers said when they realized he hadn’t been on the phone, he said: “I quote, ‘let’s put this matter to bed’ is what they said.

“Having nothing better to do with their night, the whole reaction and need for reinforcements was over the top.”

It was already announced in April that five police officers could be fired because of the 2020 search.

The independent Bureau of Police Conduct said an acting sergeant and four PCs will appear before a gross misconduct panel.

The pair were on their way home from race practice when police conducted a search in July 2020.

TREATED LIKE ‘SCUM’

They were handcuffed in front of their three-month-old baby during a search for guns and drugs in west London. None were found.

The Met referred to the IOPC after their coach, Olympic sprint ace Linford Christie, posted footage online.

Williams and his partner Ricardo dos Santos, 27, believe they were racially profiled and say they were treated like “scum”.

She said at the time, “I hope this opens the door for the Met to be more honest about the culture of racism.”

A Met Police spokesman told The Sun: “We are aware of footage on social media showing part of a car stop.

“At approximately 4:00 am on Sunday, August 14, armed officers were inside a marked police vehicle on routine patrol.

“They saw a car traveling eastbound on the A40 Westway and feared the driver might be using a mobile phone at the wheel.

“Officials clearly indicated that the car should stop, but it didn’t and they called for further assistance. The driver pulled up at Orsett Terrace W2 about five minutes later and officers spoke to him about why they wanted to stop the vehicle.

“After the conversation, the vehicle was allowed to drive on. We have since contacted the driver via Twitter, inviting him to get in touch with us if he would like to further discuss this matter.”