Two of London’s Metropolitan Police officers were dismissed from the force on Wednesday after a disciplinary panel concluded that they committed gross misconduct over the stop and search of two Black athletes.
Bianca Williams and Ricardo Dos Santos, both professional sprinters, complained to the police watchdog that they were racially profiled by a group of police officers on July 4, 2020.
The couple were driving home in London with their 3-month-old infant son in the back seat when police followed their car and pulled them over outside their home. The athletes were handcuffed and searched on suspicion of having drugs and weapons, but nothing was found.
The disciplinary panel heard the officers said they followed the athletes’ vehicle because of Dos Santos’ “appalling” and “suspicious” driving, and that they were doing their duty when they conducted the stop and search.
But the panel concluded that two of the officers, Jonathan Clapham and Sam Franks, lied about smelling cannibis during the incident.
The panel’s chairwoman, Chiew Yin Jones, said their conduct had breached standards of professional behavior in respect of honesty and integrity, and the two were dismissed without notice.
