James Blake, NYPD Arrest News: Officer Who Slammed Tennis Star Hit With 5 Civilian Complaints In 7 Months
The officer, who wrongfully tackled tennis star James Blake outside a midtown Manhattan hotel, has previously been described as an "arrogant liar" by a woman who sued the NYPD and was awarded $22,500 in an out of court settlement naming his as a defendant.
The New York Daily News reports Nafeesah Hines claimed two years ago she saw Officer James Frascatore "pinning" her boyfriend, Warren Diggs, to her driveway with two other officers for riding his bike on the sidewalk. She further claimed Frascatore dismissively refused to identify himself.
In all, the four-year veteran officer has been hit with at least five civilian complaints over just seven months, as well as two excessive force lawsuits.
"I asked them what was going on, they asked what I was doing," said Hines. "I told my daughter to go get my phone. I started recording. I told them I need to get first and last names and badge numbers."
Hines recalled the two other officers immediately honored department protocol by quickly sharing their information, but Frascatore steadfastly refused. Soon after, Hines moved her boyfriend's fold-out bike from the sidewalk into the house, only to be told she was tampering with evidence.
As she retrieved the bike, she said she asked officers to step back because she felt threatened, and Frascatore allegedly pulled her from the house.
Hines was arrested for tampering with evidence, while Diggs was charged with marijuana possession and resisting arrest. All charges were later dismissed, and a Civilian Complaint Review Board Investigation later found inconsistencies between Frascatore's testimony and what was shown in the recording.
"He was very arrogant, overly so," Hines said of Frascatore. "It's lucky I recorded. If I hadn't, forget it. There would have been no way to prove it."
The police watchdog agency also substantiated Hines' claim that Frascatore refused to identify himself and recommended he be retrained. The News reports it remains unclear if Frascatore ever received the additional instruction.
Diggs currently has a federal civil rights lawsuit open against the city, which names Frascatore, 38, as one of the arresting officers he claims "sadistically and maliciously" beat him outside his Queens home.
"This guy needed to go a long time ago," said Diggs, claiming that Frascatore was the first of the officers to throw a punch. "He likes putting his hands on people."
Frascatore has now been stripped of his gun and badge pending an investigation, and Police Commissioner William Bratton has personally apologized to Blake.
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