The use of force by Met Police officers during the arrest of the actor Reece Richards "was reasonable in the circumstances", the police watchdog has found.
The star of Netflix's Sex Education said he was pepper sprayed, thrown to the ground and kicked when he was arrested in Fulham, west London, in September. Officers had mistaken him for a criminal suspect.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) also did not uphold a complaint by Mr Richards that he was treated in a discriminatory manner because he was black, and said no officers would be disciplined.
The Met Police said it was "pleased" with the decision but acknowledged the incident must have been "distressing" for the actor.
'Innocent bystander'
Mr Richards said he was on his way home from a West End performance of Hairspray the Musical on 4 September, when he said he witnessed a car crash and two men running away.
When he pointed out to police the direction in which the two men had fled, he was restrained by four officers who sat on him, worsening some existing injuries, he said.
Mr Richards and his mother later complained to the IOPC, claiming false arrest and racial profiling.
The IOPC's director Amanda Rowe acknowledged that the incident would have had an impact on the actor.
"He was an innocent bystander and this would have been a frightening experience," she said. "Mr Richards' complaint detailed his understandable belief that he was detained and arrested because he was black, although the suspects were white.
"We found that officers were responding to a fast-moving incident and – given the only description of the suspects was that one was wearing dark clothing and their location – it was reasonable that the officer who saw Mr Richards and detained him thought he was a suspect.
"The evidence indicated that the officers' use of force was reasonable in the circumstances they encountered… and Mr Richards was de-arrested as soon officers confirmed he was not involved."
