Met officer investigated over Sex Education actor’s arrest

Netflix star Richards said he had witnessed a car crash after which two men had fled on foot, and he had then pointed to police where they had run.

However, he wrote that the four officers had instead restrained him by sitting on him, which worsened existing injuries to his back, ribs and stomach.

“In a flash, I was face-down on the pavement with multiple officers holding me down, forcing my head into the ground,” he said.

“I couldn’t see anything, but I could hear my mum nearby, screaming and crying, begging them to let me go.

“That feeling of helplessness will never leave me. The whole experience was embarrassing, deeply upsetting, and exhausting.”

In response, the Met said the officers were pursuing a suspected stolen car with false plates before the incident involving Richards, who has accused the force of “racial profiling”.

The Met has previously admitted pepper spray had been used during the arrest and said its Directorate of Professional Standards had been informed.