Investigation launched after black man ‘punched and kicked’ by police in street

The Metropolitan Police are investigating footage showing a black man being ‘punched and kicked’ as eight officers try to pin him to the floor.

The force confirmed a public complaint had been recorded and that the ‘actions of each officer’ was being examined after the incident in Croydon, south London.

Police are seen surrounding the man, who they say tried to flee the scene, then trying to restrain him. During the struggle an officer appears to kick the man while others grab him.

Moments later the same officer appears to punch him as he is held down on the pavement. The footage has since been shared on social media using the #BLM Black Lives Matter hashtag.

Ever since the killing of unarmed George Floyd at the hands of white police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis, USA, anti-racism protests have been sparked across the world.

While activists in the UK have been showing solidarity towards African Americans they are also addressing issues of systemic racism closer to home.

Sharing the clip of the Met Police’s arrest on Twitter, witness Alex Over wrote: ‘Would anybody like to explain this?? This was in #croydon.

‘The guy looked terrified and the way the police kick and hit him, I’m not surprised. Please look into this #BlackLivesMatter.’

In a statement the Met Police said the incident occurred on Friday, June 26 after officers in a marked patrol vehicle saw a man running away after seeing them.

The force added: ‘He was instructed to stop but continued to run. Officers observed what appeared to be a sharp object in his hand. Officers followed the man and attempted to detain him for the purposes of a search.

‘During this the man resisted and became aggressive. A number of officers restrained the man and he was placed in handcuffs as they believed he had a weapon on him.

‘No weapon was found but an umbrella spoke was found nearby which the man admitted to discarding while running from police. The man was not arrested and no injuries were reported at the time.

‘A public complaint has been recorded and this will be assessed by the Met’s Department of Professional Standards.

‘The Met is aware of the video and the actions of each officer seen in the footage will form part of this assessment.’

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