Source: Gina Ferazzi / Getty
Former Tennis super star, James Blake, has been the talk of the day after he reported that he was assaulted by NYPD officers while on the way to a U.S Open press event. The officers mistook Blake for a suspect in a credit card fraud case, tackling Blake to the ground.
From the New York Daily News:
Blake was waiting for a car taking him to the U.S. Open, where he was making corporate appearances for Time-Warner Cable.
“In my mind there’s probably a race factor involved, but no matter what there’s no reason for anybody to do that to anybody,” Blake said. “You’d think they could say, ‘Hey, we want to talk to you. We are looking into something.’ I was just standing there. I wasn’t running. It’s not even close (to be okay). It’s blatantly unnecessary.”
A police source said Blake was misidentified as a suspect wanted for buying a cellphone with a bogus credit card. A man who was standing near Blake was arrested in connection with the scam, police said.
“Once Blake was properly identified and found to have no connection to the investigation, he was released from police custody immediately,” the NYPD said in a statement.
“In regards to the alleged improper use of force, the Police Commissioner directed the internal affairs bureau to investigate.”
