Reece Richards: Met Police officer under investigation after Netflix star claims he was injured during arrest

The actor, who appeared in the hit comedy drama Sex Education, previously took to social media to share his story, telling his Instagram followers that he had been sprayed with pepper spray, thrown to the ground and kicked by Met Police officers who had mistaken him for a suspect. On September 4, Richards was returning from London’s West End, where he had been performing in a production of Hairspray, when he witnessed a car crash and saw two men flee on foot.

Despite pointing in the direction of the two men to show officer where they had run to, Richards claimed that cops instead wrestled him to the floor and restrained him. He said that officers sat on him to restrain him, with aggravated previous back, ribs and stomach injuries.

Richards, who has made a formal complaint, said: "I was confused, unable to understand why I was suddenly being treated like a criminal. Calmly, I explained that I was a performer returning from a show, but one officer yelled, 'get to the floor or I'll pepper spray you'.

"Moments later, 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. I was already injured from the show, but having four officers on top of me worsened my injuries to my back, ribs and stomach."

He added: "In a flash, I was face-down on the pavement with multiple officers holding me down, forcing my head into the ground. 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."

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed that one officer involved in the alleged incident is “under criminal investigation” for potential assault. The cop in question is also being investigated for potential gross misconduct, with one other officer also being investigated for potential misconduct.

The IOPC said that the investigation "does not mean that disciplinary or criminal proceedings will necessarily follow", adding: "At the end of our investigation, we will decide whether any officers should face disciplinary proceedings and whether any referral should be made to the Crown Prosecution Service.”

In response to Richard’s allegations of the wrongful arrest and “racial profiling”, the force said that its officers were chasing a suspected stolen car with false plates before the actor was apprehended. The Met also admitted that pepper spray was used in the arrest, with chiefs informing the Directorate of Professional Standards.