Plain clothes police officers wearing tracksuits dragged a YouTuber from his legal e-bike – leaving him fearing he was being attacked by “a group of thugs”.
Carmine Stones did not realise the men were officers when they suddenly grabbed him on a canal path in Manchester.
The 21-year-old initially thought he was about to be robbed before the tracksuit-clad men identified themselves and produced their warrant cards.
READ MORE: Chilling moment crooks on moped try to steal brave man’s e-bike while he’s riding it
Footage captured on Carmine’s GoPro shows him pleading: “Wait, please stop. Stop, please.”
The police immediately announce that they are officers, prompting Carmine to repeatedly ask to see their warrant cards.
One officer explains: “We stopped you because of your electric bike, okay?”
After Carmine confirms that its assisted speed is limited to 15.5mph, one of the officers suddenly appears to recognise him.
The officers then explain that they are targeting suspected drug dealing and robberies at knifepoint involving e-bikes.
After examining the bike, the officers confirm it is legal and apologise for the extreme nature of the stop.
The officer says: “Sorry to scare you like that, mate.
“I know it’s a bit extreme.”
They also praise Carmine for wearing a helmet and warn him to remain vigilant because of the number of e-bikes reportedly being stolen.
Carmine, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, creates videos about bicycles and local news for his @Kurrgas social media channels.
He said the incident happened around three months ago on a canal near Manchester Piccadilly.
“I didn’t notice them until they grabbed me and pulled me off my bike, Carmine told Need To Know.
“It definitely scared me because, at first, I thought I was being attacked by a group of thugs.
“It was mainly because of the way they were dressed and the number of officers involved.
“Once they started speaking, though, it became clear they were police officers.”
Carmine said the officers showed him their warrant cards immediately and professionally explained the reason for the stop.
He said: “At the time it was frightening and made me feel uncomfortable.
“Afterwards, I could laugh about it because it had all been recorded, but it did make me nervous about riding along canals for a while.
“I was mainly shocked at first, but also relieved that they weren’t taking my bike.
Despite his frightening experience, Carmine said he supports police carrying out proactive operations against weapons and criminal activity.
He added: “Considering the recent issues with knife crime, I support proactive policing like this.
“Although I wouldn’t want to experience being stopped like that again, I understand why they were carrying out the operation.”
Greater Manchester Police said: “Officers working in the Harpurhey area as part of an operation to tackle nuisance and anti-social e-bikes conducted a stop of a man to ensure the bike complied with road regulations.
“The officers identified themselves as they did so, before they ensured the bike was fit and legal to be on the road.
“The bike was deemed to be in compliance with the relevant laws and the man was free to leave shortly after.”
The force said e-bikes were among the most frequently reported antisocial behaviour issues it receives.
It added that officers use a range of tactics to address the problem, including deploying covert and plain-clothes teams.
The video attracted millions of views and prompted viewers to debate how they would have reacted.
One viewer joked: “Bruh, I would not have stopped. I probably would’ve ended up going in the water.”
Another praised the police, writing: “They are actually good officers.”
JD Sports’ official account also joined the reaction, joking: “Blue Light Card got rinsed for this operation.”
READ MORE: Garden shed destroyed as e-bike left on charge overnight explodes
