NYPD Set To Apologize To Retired Tennis Star After False Arrest
New York Police Department commissioner Bill Bratton will be apologizing to now retired tennis star James Blake in person following an incident with a fellow officer earlier this week at the US Open. Blake, who retired back in 2013, was around for the festivities of the major tennis event that’s held in Flushing every late summer. While he’s no longer active, Blake still made the trip for corporate sponsorship appearances.
According to the police report, Blake was attacked by an officer and handcuffed for 15 minutes around other officers that believed he was the suspect of a crime involving fraudulent credit cards. After confirming Blake’s identity, the tennis star was released. Police said that Blake matched the suspect’s description.
Blake, who is black, didn’t strongly believe that a race factor was involved, but also wouldn’t rule it out. Regardless, he didn’t understand why there was so much force used in the incident. Blake suffered minor cuts and bruises in the attack. Bratton told the NY Times that these acts were unacceptable: “‘We will very aggressively address it. I will not tolerate any type of excessive use of force on the part of my police.'”
