Top British sprinter targeted by police ‘ because she’s black’
Fury of athletes dragged from Merc in front of baby
A GOLD medal winning British sprinter and her partner have accused the Metropolitan Police of dragging them from their car and handcuffing them in front of their three-month-old son solely because they were black.
Bianca Williams, 26, and her partner Ricardo dos Santos, 25, said they believed they were targeted because of the colour of their skin and the fact they were driving a Mercedes.
In a shocking video recorded by the couple on their smartphones, police surround the car as it begins to reach the pair’s London home.
Miss Williams and Mr dos Santos, both proteges of former Olympic champion Linford Christie, were returning from a training session on Saturday. In the video one officer shouts at them while wielding a baton while another holds a small hammer used for smashing glass.
At least four officers are seen approaching the car before Mr dos Santos leaves of his own volition. He initially chuckles at the show of force before becoming audibly agitated.
Miss Williams is pulled from the car by two female officers, imploring ‘my son is in the car’ as she is dragged out.
She then becomes visibly distressed as she is handcuffed away from her son Zuri. Police claimed they could smell cannabis on the two prospective Olympians – but officers refused to administer a roadside drug test.
Miss Williams is a European and Commonwealth British gold medallist and Mr dos Santos is the Portuguese 400m record holder. They are both currently in training for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Miss Williams said: ‘It’s always the same thing with Ricardo. They think he’s driving a stolen vehicle, or he’s been smoking cannabis.
‘It’s racial profiling. The way they spoke to Ricardo, like he was scum, dirt on their shoe, was shocking. It was awful to watch.’
The episode was publicised on social media by Mr Christie, who accused the police force of ‘institutionalised racism’.
Mr dos Santos said he had been stopped by police as many as 15 times since the couple bought the Mercedes in November 2017, the Times reported.
He is due to meet lawyers tomorrow to discuss further action over the incident, which took place in west London. Police detained the couple for 45 minutes, with Miss Williams in cuffs the whole time, before they were told they could go.
Scotland Yard has justified the incident saying the car had ‘made off at speed’ and was ‘travelling on the wrong side of the road’.
Mr dos Santos said he had initially felt it unsafe to stop when flagged by officers and drove ‘for another 20 seconds’ to park when safe – outside their home. He added: ‘I’m 25 and I’ve never had alcohol or smoked in my life.’
Miss Williams said: ‘All the officers were white and none of them had PPE. Ricardo said, “You’re not protecting ours or the baby’s health here”. He was being really heavily manhandled.’ The couple also said their car sported a ‘baby on board’ badge.
Met Police commander Helen Harper said: ‘Due to the concern raised, we conducted a review of the stop. This included social media footage and body worn camera footage of the officers at the scene. We are satisfied that there are no misconduct issues.’
‘They spoke like he was scum’