By Zuko Komisa
Tiemoue Bakayoko, an AC Milan midfielder, narrowly escaped jail time following what appears to be a case of mistaken identity when Italian police stopped him at a roadblock and searched him while holding him firmly against another vehicle.
According to reports, police were searching for gang members who had allegedly engaged in a gunfight when they stopped traffic at Porta Garibaldi, which is when the soccer star’s car was stopped and searched.
When another police officer realized it wasn’t one of the gangs they were looking for but rather an AC Milan, they smiled and freed him just as he was going to be handcuffed.
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The incident, which was caught on camera and went viral on social media, has infuriated the soccer community.
Italian police pulled AC Milan’s Bakayoko over to search him until they realized it was him. This is scary. pic.twitter.com/FkFhyIqcJe
— Juliet Bawuah (@julietbawuah) July 18, 2022
AC Milan said the search occurred due to a shooting in the nearby area at that time, with police issuing a statement to Reuters to explain their actions.
“It should be noted that the search occurred in an operational context that justified the adoption of the highest security measures,” the statement read.
“Also as a function of self-protection, and was carried out in a manner absolutely consistent with the type of alarm in progress.”
“Once the person had been identified and established that he was not involved, the service was resumed without any kind of remark from the person concerned.” read the statement
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