An actor has claimed he was the victim of “police misconduct” after allegedly being pepper sprayed in an “unlawful arrest”.
Reece Richards, who appeared in the hit Netflix series Sex Education and is currently touring in Hairspray The Musical, said he was thrown to the ground during a police chase on 4 September following a performance of the stage show in Fulham, southwest London.
He said the incident made it “painfully clear that racial profiling remains a significant issue”.
Responding to a post and footage shared on social media, the Met Police said officers had been pursuing three men who ran from a car that crashed after failing to stop for police.
Officers “often find themselves in dynamic, challenging situations and have to make split-second judgments on which course of action to take”, the force said, adding that a complaint was currently being assessed, along with other material including police bodycams.
“The man shown in the footage was de-arrested as soon as it was established by officers at the scene that he was not involved,” the force’s statement said.
‘I was face-down on the pavement’
In his post, Richards said he was the “victim of an unlawful arrest and police misconduct… just yards from my front door”.
He said he saw two men running from a car and shouted to officers to help them. However, he said officers said he was under arrest and told him to get to the ground.
“I was confused, unable to understand why I was suddenly being treated like a criminal,” he wrote. After allegedly being told to get on the floor, he claimed that “three more officers ran at me. They pepper-sprayed me, kicked my legs out from under me, threw me to the ground, and handcuffed me.
“In a flash, I was face-down on the pavement with multiple officers holding me down, forcing my head into the ground”.
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Richards said he could hear his mum “screaming and crying” nearby, so asked her to call Brenda Edwards, the Loose Women star and director of Hairspray The Musical.
She arrived at the scene and officers, after checking bodycam footage, agreed to release him, the actor claimed.
Edwards shared a statement on Instagram which was also posted by the Hairspray production’s official account, saying: “We stand in full support and solidarity with Reece Richards, a valued member of our cast who was wrongfully targeted by the Met Police whilst making his way home after a performance of Hairspray The Musical.
“We strongly condemn any form of racism and discrimination.”
Richards is best known for his portrayal of Eugene in two episodes of Sex Education, also starring Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey and Asa Butterfield. He also appeared in You, starring Penn Bedgley.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog for England and Wales, said it had also been made aware of the complaint and has contacted the Met Police to discuss potential further investigation.
In an additional statement sent to Sky News, the Met Police said it was “clear the man shown in the footage was an innocent bystander and he was dearrested as soon as this was established by officers at the scene”.
The statement continued: “All officers know any use of force must be proportionate and reasonable and they understand their actions will be scrutinised.”
A complaint is currently being assessed by officers from the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS), the force said, adding that none of the officers involved “are subject to restrictions at this time”.
