Bus arrest: Met Police officer investigated over racial assault of woman

The woman was arrested on Whitehorse Road, Croydon

A Metropolitan Police officer is being investigated for racially aggravated assault and false imprisonment after a woman was wrongly arrested for bus fare evasion in front of her young son.

Footage of the woman - showing her being handcuffed as her child cried in Croydon, south London - was posted on social media.

It was later confirmed that she had paid the fare.

The officer is also under investigation for potential gross misconduct.

• Police watchdog to review bus fare evasion arrest

Police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said: "It's important to emphasise that this development does not necessarily mean that criminal charges or disciplinary proceedings will follow.

"At the conclusion of the investigation, we will decide whether to refer a file of evidence to the CPS for a charging decision and also decide whether any officers should face disciplinary proceedings.

"Representatives for the woman and the officer have been advised of this update and we will keep them informed throughout our investigation."

The woman was arrested after wrongly being accused of failing to pay a bus fare, with police saying she had refused to show her pass to a Transport for London (TfL) ticket inspector.

A family member complained to the IOPC, claiming the woman had been racially profiled and verbally abused by an officer, and the woman herself has also complained about the way that she and her son were treated.

The watchdog is investigating the decision to arrest her, whether the force used was proportionate, whether the woman and her son were treated differently because they are black, and whether the woman was treated differently because of her sex.

The officer under investigation is on restricted duties.