Zac Cooper, 27, was pulled over by traffic cops from GMP’s Operation Wolverine on February 22 and his £100,000 Audi RS7 was seized amid concerns about its insurance
A young influencer believes police targeted him because of his flashy car and Turkey teeth. Entrepreneur Zac Cooper accused the Greater Manchester Police force of ‘stealing’ his £100,000 supercar after they mistakenly suspected him of being a drug dealer.
The 27-year-old, from Gorton, was seen by officers as he drove into Tesco Extra in Gorton to refuel his cherished khaki-green Audi RS7. He had owned the one year old vehicle – acquired through a finance deal – for just three months when the police, harbouring doubts about its insurance, confiscated it and returned it to the finance company.
The aspiring social media star, was recording content for his platforms to promote his business, when he was stopped by traffic officers from GMP’s Operation Wolverine on February 22. His car was impounded and he hasn’t laid eyes on it since, MEN reports.
Greater Manchester Police explained to the Daily Star, there was no valid insurance on the vehicle which was in breach of the finance agreement.
But Zac suspects that the police profiled him based on his £100k Audi, with its private number plate, his clean-shaven head, ‘Turkey teeth’, and tattoos.
Known as Zac Studd on his Instagram and TikTok profiles, Zac vented that GMP ‘stole my car’. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, he said: “I was pulled over five weeks before for the same reason, something to do with the insurance, and they did some checks and let me go on my way. I just thought it was another routine check for the police.”.
The driver expressed his astonishment at the unexpected turn of events during the police stop, adding: “The first police officer said it was just a routine check and then the second said ‘we’re going to have to take your car away’.
“I just thought the next day I’d be collecting my car from the police station because I’ve done nothing wrong. I was 100% sure there were no discrepancies, so it was a pretty shocking moment for me.”
Zak initially suspected that the reason for the stop might have been profiling: “My first thought when they stopped me was ‘it’s a nice car driving through Gorton’ so the police thought ‘let’s pull him’, especially with the way I look. Especially with the way I was driving around, it screams out illegal drug dealer.”
However, the driver is adamant that he had done nothing wrong and that the police may have felt pressured to find fault: “It does look dodgy. There was quite a crowd of people there.
“I was definitely legal but I think they thought they had to pin me on something. The insurance was fine. I’ve got a driving licence and there were no dodgy or illegal substances in the car. They couldn’t just let me go or they would look like d*** heads.
“I was never once rude or angry with them. I wasn’t disrespectful in any way. Everything they asked of me, I did it. I gave them my driving licence, no hesitation.
“I was actually quite shy. It was a surreal moment. I’m sitting in the back of the car with them and they are taking my car away and I’m thinking what have I done?”. I’m not a criminal. I abide by the rules.”