Eric Boateng-Taylor was on his way to work when he was stopped by Metropolitan Police in Croydon, south London, who asked to know why he was wearing a jacket. Footage posted on TikTok, which has been viewed more than 400,000 times, shows one officer saying “you are not dressed for the weather” and another adding that the man’s suit “just looks weird”. Boateng-Taylor has stopped investigating under the Drug Abuse Act. As the 20-year-old was filming the incident on his phone, a male police officer was heard saying “I just wonder what you are wearing”. Boateng-Taylor replied “I will wear my own coat”, asking if the police want to buy him a new one. “I ask what time,” the officer added. When he told the police that he was wearing whatever he wanted, another officer asked again why he was wearing a coat and told him “you are not dressed for the hot weather”. The local businessman, who owns a car wash business and has a drink kiosk at Selhurst Sports Arena, stopped in Dagnall Park on Wednesday. Boateng-Taylor, who described the officers as “laughing like children”, apologized to the force and also called on the officers to be better trained. He told ITV News: “I was handcuffed and searched,” adding that the incident made him feel “violated”. Nothing was found during the search. A statement from the Metropolitan Police said the man “wore several layers of clothing despite the hot weather” and “became hostile and refused to be held accountable for what he did” after being approached by officers from the Violent Crimes Task Force. DCS Lee Hill, of the Violent Crime Task Force, said: “We know the material that goes on social media. This shows only a small part of this incident and we would ask people not to rush to judge. “In this case, an official complaint has been received and is being processed in accordance with the Law on Police Reform. This will include a review of all available footage, including video worn by the officer’s body. “Our officers must behave in the most difficult circumstances and it is right for their actions to be subject to public scrutiny.”
