Deptford: Black Uber Eats forcefully arrested while working

Levi Scott, 25, from Sydenham, was setting off from Morleys, on Deptford High Street, to complete the final job of his 12-hour shift on Saturday, June 19, when he was approached by two officers who said they had seen him cycling on the pavement. 

After he began filming the interaction, Levi claims his phone was slapped out of his hand, before he was wrestled to the ground, pinned, and handcuffed by five officers.

Levi, who works full-time for Uber Eats, believes he was targeted because of his race.

He said: “I think it happened because I was black.

“I was just working. I can’t find any other reason, as there wasn’t anything I did wrong.

“My trust in the police has gone way, way down.

“For this to happen to me, while I am at work, was terrible, humiliating and embarrassing.

“I’ve been stopped and searched two times before, but nothing like this.”

Levi managed to record the initial police approach, while an onlooker filmed the subsequent arrest by multiple officers.

Two officers confront Levi as he films them, telling him he is being detained. As he backs off, he is instructed to "stop walking away."

The footage then shows four officers pinning him to the ground as he is handcuffed, telling him to relax as he screams out in pain.

Levi said: “The situation escalated when I took my phone out.

“They were getting close to me.

“One of the officers slapped my phone away, pulled my head down and kneed me in the face.

“Then they wrestled me to the ground.

“It happened so quick, before I knew it there were multiple officers pinning me down.

“It felt like ten. They were telling me to relax, to calm down.

“It was really painful, and I just wanted the pain to stop.”

Levi was told he was being arrested for riding on the pavement, which he admits he did briefly, and assaulting a police officer, which he denies.

He was then taken to Lewisham police station, where he was booked in.

Levi was told a full strip search was necessary as he was wearing multiple layers.

“It was a horrible experience,” he said.

He claims that officers behaved “unprofessionally” at the station, joking about whether he had any food in his delivery bag for them.

After being placed in a cell, his requests for water, food and a phone call were ignored for two hours.

Sixteen hours later, an officer informed him that, having reviewed the CCTV, he would be released with no further action to be taken.

Levi is lodging an official complaint with the Met, alleging officers profiled him.

The Met's Directorate of Professional Standards, which reviewed officers' body-cam footage, did not identify any concerns with their conduct.

Two innocent brothers wrongly suspected of drug dealing after being seen "fist bumping" metres away from where Levi was arrested began legal proceedings against the Met last year.

>> READ MORE: Deptford brothers stopped and searched over 'fist bump' sue police for profiling

A spokesperson for the Met said: “We are aware of video footage circulating on social media showing parts of a stop and search of a male in Deptford High Street on Saturday, 19 June.

“The male was approached and stopped by officers after being observed cycling on the pavement.

“The footage online shows a portion of the entire interaction of in the incident between the officers and the man who was stopped.

“We fully appreciate and understand the concern incidents like this can cause in the community based upon the footage circulated.

“The matter has been referred to the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards who have reviewed all material available, including the full capture of the officers’ body worn video, in order to understand the full facts.

“This review of the incident has been completed and has not identified any concerns around the officers’ conduct.

“Our officers understand that their actions will be scrutinised as they go about their work, and that the public have the right to hold them to account where appropriate.

“The Met has reached out to the male concerned, who was released with no further action, and awaits a response.”