Zac Cooper, from Gorton, Manchester, says his Audi was wrongly taken away by the police. He believes he was misjudged because of his appearance and has been left out of pocket
A businessman with “Turkey teeth” claims that a UK police force wrongly seized his £100,000 supercar after they judged his appearance.
Zac Cooper, also known as Zac Studd on TikTok, claims Greater Manchester Police (GMP) targeted him as he filled up his petrol at a Tesco Extra on February 22. The 27-year-old can often be found sharing advice after he secured cheap car insurance.
Before police approached him, Zak was filming videos to promote his business which offers “hacks” to get better insurance deals. He said cops intervened and said they wanted to carry out some checks against his khaki-green Audi RS7.
Tattooed Zac believes the officers wrongly thought he was a drug dealer because of his inkings, teeth and private registration plate. He says they took the car, which he purchased a year ago with a finance agreement, and returned it to the finance company.
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Zac slammed cops on his social media and said GMP “stole my car”. He said the police never gave him an explanation about what was wrong with his insurance and that his finance company took the car back because the mere fact he lost possession of the car meant he breached the finance agreement, reports Manchester Evening News.
A spokesperson for the force said he didn’t have valid insurance. They further explained that the car was returned to the finance company because it wasn’t fully paid off yet.
Speaking about the mishap, 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 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 per cent sure there were no discrepancies, so it was a pretty shocking moment for me.
“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.
“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 my 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?” He added: “I’m not a criminal. I abide by the rules.”
He says he has lost a £20,000 deposit and the four instalments of £800 he had paid before the car was seized. Undeterred, he says he’s saving up to buy an Audi RS8, also on finance, later this year. Asked how he could afford such expensive cars, Zac said he was doing very well. He is a director of a publishing company, Control Gateway Ltd, according to Companies House
He said he purchased the RS7 in part because it helped him create online content and attract an audience for his products. When he purchased the RS7, it was black but he covered it in a khaki wrap which he said made it unique in the UK. He said he had also managed a number of OnlyFans accounts.
The vehicle was seized under Section 165 of the Road Traffic Act which gives police powers to seize cars being driven without a licence or correct insurance. The publication has seen Zac’s driving licence.
It is understood an insurance policy was in place but police had concerns about how it was obtained and that it was subsequently cancelled. It is understood police contacted the finance company following the seizure and it asked for the vehicle to be returned to them.
An email from GMP sent to Zac said: “The vehicle referred to is being returned to the finance company as per their request. Please refer any queries you may have directly to the finance company.”
The Mirror has contacted Greater Manchester Police for comment.
