A young Asian man says he was pinned to the ground and searched by police officers at Waterloo station after he was seen leaving a Pret a Manger without buying anything.
Kashif Baig, 26, was stopped and accused of “being evasive” as he travelled through the station on his way from his customer support job on Friday evening.
After refusing to give officers his address Mr Baig, who is of British and Pakistani heritage, says he was handcuffed and wrestled to the ground as he pleaded to passers-by for help.
On its website, the Metropolitan Police says that “you don’t have to give [your address] if you don’t want to” during a stop and search.
Mr Baig, from Hounslow, west London, began shouting out his mother’s telephone number after an officer took his mobile, before a woman stopped to give him water.
He was released after several minutes but has been left “traumatised” by the encounter.
“[Afterwards] I just sat on the floor in tears as I was in pain and couldn’t believe what had just happened to me,” he told the Standard.
“I am traumatised to even see the station now and will have to take time off work.”
Mr Baig’s stop and search form read: “Officers observed Mr Baig being evasive in Waterloo station. He entered and exited Pret in quick succession making no purchases.
"He then went to the underground and came up immediately. When officers went to speak with Mr Baig he continued to be evasive, failed to answer officers’ questions and did not account for his whereabouts.”
A box on the form labelled “reason” was left blank.
Mr Baig, who has submitted a complaint following the incident, said he had planned to buy a drink from Pret but left after seeing the length of the queue.
He added: “The stop and search process is absolutely disgusting.
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"I was treated like I already committed a crime, my phone was snatched off me...A change needs to happen."
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: “On Friday, 4 September at approximately 5.45pm a male was stopped and searched in Waterloo Station.
“As a result of this stop, a complaint has been received by the Metropolitan Police which is being fully investigated.”