Ricardo Dos Santos: Watchdog will not investigate sprinter's police stop

The Portuguese sprinter has been pulled over by police three times in two years

The police watchdog will not investigate a traffic stop and search of a sprinter who claims he was racially profiled in west London.

Ricardo Dos Santos published a series of video tweets of him being pulled over and questioned by police in Paddington at 04:00 BST on 14 August.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has returned the case to the Met police, the force said.

An investigation will be led by its Directorate of Professional Standards.

Scotland Yard said Mr Dos Santos had been informed.

Seven armed police officers approached Mr Dos Santos and suspected him of using his phone while driving his Tesla car along the A40 Westway.

He told the BBC he "went around" the police car to avoid driving into the back of it and then continued driving for a further five minutes before pulling over on Orsett Terrace.

Mr Dos Santos said he was able to show he had not been using his phone and was let go.

He says it is the third time in two years he has been stopped by police.

In July 2020, footage of Mr Dos Santos and his partner, the Team GB sprinter Bianca Williams, being searched and handcuffed was widely shared on social media.

Ms Williams later accused 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, it was announced five officers will face a gross misconduct hearing over the 2020 stop and search.

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