Moment police 'punch and kick' black man as he is pushed to the pavement after EIGHT officers surround him on a south London street

Police are investigating a complaint after footage emerged of a black man being 'punched and kicked' by officers as they tried to tackle him to the ground.

The video shows the young man being pinned to the pavement on Wellesley Road, Croydon, London, on June 26 after around eight officers tried to restrain him following a brief chase. 

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that a public complaint had been recorded and that the 'actions of each officer' in the footage was being assessed. 

The footage, which has been circulating on social media, was shared under the Black Lives Matter hashtag #BLM.

The movement has remained at the centre of protests in the UK and US after George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died after police officer Derek Chauvin put his knee on his neck in Minneapolis on May 25 for nearly nine minutes.  

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Members of the police force catch the man, who was trying to flee the scene in Croydon, south London, and try to restrain him

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The group of officers hold the man and try and push him to the ground as he continues to struggle

During the clip, the group of officers surround the man who, police say, had been trying to flee the scene, and wrestle him to the pavement. 

As the man puts up a struggle, one officer kicks him as other members of the force try to restrain him and bring him to the ground.

Just seconds later, an officer appears to punch him as the man remains on the ground.  

Witness Alex Over shared the clip on Twitter next to the caption: 'Would anybody like to explain this?? This was in #croydon.

'The guy looked terrified and the way the police kick and hit him, I'm not surprised. Please look into this #BlackLivesMatter.' 

The Metropolitan Police said that police officers in a marked patrol vehicle detained the man after believing that he was in possession of a 'sharp object'. 

In a statement to MailOnline the police said: 'On Friday, 26 June at 14:14hrs, officers in a marked vehicle on proactive patrol on Wellesley Road, Croydon observed a man run away on seeing police.

'He was instructed to stop but continued to run. Officers observed what appeared to be a sharp object in his hand.

'Officers followed the man and attempted to detain him for the purposes of a search. During this the man resisted and became aggressive.

'A number of officers restrained the man and he was placed in handcuffs as they believed he had a weapon on him. 

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The group of officers restrain the man on the ground as he continues to struggle on the pavement

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The group of officers hold the man down to the pavement following a brief chase in Croydon

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Some of the officers continue to hold the man down on the pavement next a marked police van

'No weapon was found but an umbrella spoke was found nearby which the man admitted to discarding while running from police.

'The man was not arrested and no injuries were reported at the time.

'A public complaint has been recorded and this will be assessed by the Met’s Department of Professional Standards.

'The Met is aware of the video and the actions of each officer seen in the footage will form part of this assessment.'