Former Tennis Star James Blake Arrested, Detained By NYPD
Retired tennis player James Blake was arrested and slammed to the ground by multiple officers while he was on his way to the U.S. Open.
Blake was standing outside his hotel when five white New York Police Department (NYPD) officers surrounded him. According to CNN, the police mistook him as the ringleader of an identity-theft ring.
Blake suffered superficial wounds and was released from the hospital after cops realized that he was the wrong man. The original suspect had a resemblance to Blake, according to police.
When asked about the incident and if it was racial profiling, Blake told New York Daily News, "I don't know if it's as simple as that. To me it's as simple as unnecessary police force, no matter what my race is. 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."
He went on to continue, "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 OK). It's blatantly unnecessary. You would think at some point they would get the memo that this isn't OK, but it seems that there's no stopping it."
NYPD Police Commissioner William J. Bratton said that the incident was "uncalled for" and "will not tolerate such acts." He also announced that a internal investigation is underway from the incident. The official NYPD Twitter account tweeted the following about the incident:
An officer has been place on modified assignment in regards to the James Blake incident.
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) September 10, 2015
An investigation will go forward into the use of force of the officer. - @CommissBratton regarding James Blake incident — NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) September 10, 2015
This was NOT racially motivated; officers had probable cause; we're investigating use of force & if protocol was followed- @CommissBratton — NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) September 10, 2015
It is not known if Blake will file a lawsuit against the NYPD. He announced that he only wants an apology from the police department and a reprimand for the officers involved.
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