A black man who said he was stopped and searched by police officers in London for wearing a coat in hot weather has again been stopped and searched by officers only days later.
Eric Boateng-Taylor, who also goes by Carter Jr, was stopped by police in Croydon on Wednesday and was accused of not dressing appropriately for the climate.
Less than a week later, Mr Boateng-Taylor was stopped again by Metropolitan Police officers in South London around 9.45pm on Monday as he and a friend drove home through Thornton Heath after going to Nandos for dinner.
“I’m very scared right now, I don’t feel like anywhere, I’m scared to go out, I don’t know how to explain my feelings but I’m scared right now,” he told The Independent.
Mr Boateng-Taylor said he was stopped by three police cars who told him there was a section 60 in the area for drug misuse.
He was then handcuffed while he and his friend were searched as well as the car they were in.
“I was thinking what is going on, the way they came it was like they’re coming for some big guy. If it was a section 60 why is it me being stopped,” Mr Boateng-Taylor said.
“They strip-searched the whole car, checked the bonnet, took the music player out, checked the chairs. They always cuff you when they know how to handle yourself, they want to humiliate you,” he said.
The 20-year-old entrepreneur from South London said police allowed him and his friend to leave after nothing was found.
He told the officers that he had been searched days earlier and told he was not dressed for the climate, to which officers said they “remembered him.”
Mr Boateng-Taylor said officers deleted a full version of a video recording the search despite him pleading with them not to.
In the video posted on Mr Boateng-Taylor’s social media he says “we are being followed by police right now,” and seconds later a black police car with blue sirens halts in front of their vehicle bringing them to a stop.
“You see what I’m talking about, you see what I’m talking about,” Mr Boateng-Taylor says in the video before officers open the door of the car and to which he explains to officers that “I’m holding my food, no one is going anywhere.”
Officers then tell Mr Boateng-Taylor to calm down as he asks them why he is being stopped.
“It’s crazy I don’t know if I’m being targeted because of what I said or because of the colour of my skin, I don’t know,” Mr Boateng-Taylor said.
A spokesperson from the Metropolitan Police said it is aware of the concerns raised by Mr Boateng-Taylor.
“The stop happened at around 21:00hrs on Monday, 28 March and was conducted by officers from the Violent Crime Taskforce who were tasked in the area to tackle serious youth violence,” a spokesperson said.
“The vehicle was stopped and officers deemed it appropriate to carry out a search on the man. Nothing was found and he was allowed on his way.
“The posts online only show a very small part of this interaction. A review of the officers’ body worn video has been carried out and, at this time, there is nothing within that footage that causes concern and shows that the officers conducted themselves during the stop professionally.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Lee Hill of the Violent Crime Taskforce added that the force is making efforts to speak with Mr Boateng-Taylor about the incident.
“We understand that there will always be balance to be stuck between liberty and safety and stop and search should always be conducted in a courteous and fair way, with officers explaining the rational for their actions,” Mr Hill said.
