Man Stopped By Police For Wearing Coat Is Stopped And Searched Again 5 Days Later

A man who was stopped and searched by police because he was 'not dressed for the climate' was stopped for a second time less than a week later.

The second incident took place on Monday (March 28), just days after Eric Boateng-Taylor, who also goes by Carter Jr., filmed police questioning him in Croydon, south London last week.

Eric accused officers of 'harassing' and 'bullying' him when he shared the footage, and he expressed frustration again this week after being pulled over while in a car with friends, again in Croydon. Take a look at the footage he captured from the second incident below:

The 20-year-old, who runs a car-washing business and has a drinks stand in Selhurst Sports Arena, told The Mirror officers took the tape player out of the car and put him 'in handcuffs' after pulling over the vehicle.

Eric was on his way back to work to close his shop at the time, and when he asked why police had stopped the car they allegedly responded to say they were 'looking for drugs'.

The incident marked one of the many times Eric has been searched by police, with the first taking place when he was just 15 years old.

"I am a Black man, but that doesn't mean I am like all these Black people holding knives," he said.

"We are not all the same. All this racial stereotyping needs to stop.The Met need to get people like us (working with them). They need to get to know the people from the community.

"(They should) talk to us like we're human. Don't talk to us like we're not human. If you talk to anyone in a civil way, they will talk to you nice."

Imagine being detained by the Police because you are…checks notes: “…not dressed for the climate” Jesus…of…Nazareth! pic.twitter.com/02NIn9irNS

— Michael Morgan (@mikewhoatv) March 25, 2022

Eric claimed he now is 'scared to go out' after being approached by police twice in as many weeks, expressing concern he has become a 'target'.

"I am scared and I get panicked now," he said. "The Met has work to do. They need to work on themselves."

The Met said the car stop was conducted at 9pm on Monday by officers from the Violent Crime Taskforce 'who were tasked in the area to tackle serious youth violence', The Mirror reports.

A spokesperson for the force 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.

"Stop and search remains a vital policing tool in our efforts to drive down violent crime and save lives across London, we are acutely aware of the negative impact being stopped can have on a person."

Detective Chief Superintendent Lee Hill, of the Violent Crime Taskforce, said the Met sought to speak to Eric and listen to his concerns, adding that it is 'only by engaging and understanding, that we can continue to improve the quality of our stop and search process'.

Hill described stop and search as a 'vital power' in the bid to reduce violence in London and said they have resulted in 'knives have been recovered before they could have been used to harm others'.