News Digest

NYPD releases video of tennis star James Blake being arrested by mistake

The New York City Police Department on Friday released a security camera video showing ex-tennis star James Blake being tackled, thrown to the ground and handcuffed by an undercover officer in a now infamous case of mistaken identity. The incident occurred as Blake, formerly the world’s fourth-ranked player, was calmly standing by the entrance of a midtown Manhattan hotel, waiting for a car to take him to the U.S. Open.

But extending courtesy to a public figure mistreated by the police is not enough…I am determined to use my voice to turn this unfortunate incident into a catalyst for change.

James Blake

Blake, in a statement released through his lawyer Kevin Marino, said he believes the vast majority of police officers are dedicated public servants who operate appropriately, but what happened to him “is not uncommon.” Jame Frascatore, the officer seen in the video, has been stripped of his gun and badge and placed on modified assignment pending the IAB investigation, NYPD Commissioner William Bratton said in a news conference on Thursday. Frascatore was the subject of four civilian complaints in a seven-month period of 2013, and he has been named in two federal civil rights lawsuits as being among a group of officers accused of beating, pepper spraying and falsely arresting two Queens men in separate incidents that year.