AC Milan's Tiemoue Bakayoko Searched by Police on Video amid Shooting Investigation
July 18, 2022
AC Milan midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko was searched and held at gunpoint on July 3 by Milan police, who were investigating a shooting. Video of the incident made its way to social media Monday.
Tancredi Palmeri @tancredipalmeriShocking footage of Milan’s Bakayoko in Milan’s downtown held at gunpoint by police cause taken for someone else.<br><br>Check when one of cop goes telling to the colleague searching him that it’s not the suspect but a Milan player, and the cop saying “WHO?!?”<br> <a href="https://t.co/B0PTYiXnc5">pic.twitter.com/B0PTYiXnc5</a>
Milan police said in a statement: "With reference to the video released today, related to a police check carried out against the Milan player Tiemoue Bakayoko, we underline that the check—occurred during an operation whose context justified the adoption of the highest security measures, also for self-protection purposes—was carried out in a manner that was absolutely consistent with the situation of danger. Once the person was identified and his being unrelated to the facts had been clarified, the police duties resumed regularly, without any kind of complaint on behalf of the person involved."
The Milan Police added that the situation was a "misunderstanding" but said its officers handled the situation according to procedure.
Bakayoko was released by police after being stopped.
AC Milan confirmed to CNN that the person in the video was Bakayoko but didn't comment further.
Bakayoko, 27, is heading into his second year of a two-year loan move from Chelsea. He played a part in AC Milan ending an 11-year title drought last season, appearing in 14 Serie A matches (five starts) for the club.
For his career, he's played for Rennes (2013-14), Monaco (2014-15 to 2016-17, 2019-20), Chelsea (2017-18), Napoli and AC Milan (2018-19, 2021-22 to present). While his career at Chelsea never took off after joining the club in 2017, a series of loans have seen him make an impact in France's Ligue 1 and Italy's Serie A.
While Bakayoko is on loan at AC Milan for another season, it is unclear if he will remain with the club or look to secure a permanent move at a new club. In such a scenario, Chelsea would have to end his loan and agree to his sale on the transfer market.