Serie A winner Tiemoue Bakayoko has insisted Italian police 'went too far' after he was stopped at gunpoint in a terrifying ordeal that turned out to be a case of mistaken identity.
The departing Chelsea midfielder, who was on loan at AC Milan last season, was pulled over by cops in Milan earlier this month but footage of the incident only emerged this week.
A video re-tweeted by Sport Italia journalist Tancredi Palmeri captured the terrifying incident. A policeman pushed the startled footballer, who made 14 Serie A appearances for the triumphant Rossoneri last season, up against a police car.
He appeared to empty Bakayoko's pockets and threw the contents onto the roof of the police car while two other cops pointed their weapons at the player's vehicle.
One female officer kept her gun trained on another occupant of the vehicle while the incident unfolded.
However, it appeared to gradually dawn on the police that they had the wrong person and quickly holstered their weapons and consoled the midfielder with a gentle pat on the back.
Bakayoko, previously of Monaco, has now spoken out about his ordeal and said that while he understood the officers made a mistake, he believes they 'went too far'.
The 27-year-old said: 'Authorities stated it was a mistake and they realised only in real time.
'Being wrong is human, no problem with that, but the way they used those have been a problem for me. I believe they went too far.'
An AC Milan spokesperson said this week: 'After a shootout in the area where the midfielder happened to be, the police started making checks.'
'The player was stopped but as soon as the police verified that he had nothing to do with what happened, they apologised and let him go.'
Bakayoko signed for Chelsea in a big-money move in 2017, arriving at Stamford Bridge from Monaco for £40m.
However, despite spending five years at the club, the move has not worked out.
In his first season, he made 43 appearances across all competitions, but has not played for Chelsea since the 2017-18 season.
Since then, he has spent loan spells at AC Milan, Monaco, Napoli and then again at AC Milan, where he won the Serie A title in the last campaign.
On Sunday, French publication Foot Mercato reported that Bakayoko is finally leaving Stamford Bridge after agreeing a deal with the Ligue 1 club, Marseille.