Real Suspects in Custody after NYPD Mistakenly Arrests Ex-Tennis Pro James Blake

NY Mayor Bill De Blasio and police commissioner Bill Bratton apologize to James Blake after he was allegedly slammed to the ground and arrested in a mixed-up suspect search.

New York Mayor Bill De Blasio and New York City's Police Commissioner Bill Bratton have reached out to apologize to former tennis pro James Blake after officers mistook him for a suspect in a credit card fraud scheme.

Blake, who is bi-racial, was allegedly slammed to the ground and handcuffed on Wednesday as he was leaving the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York.

Mr. Bratton speaking at a news conference on Thursday, said he had concerns about "the inappropriateness of the amount of force that was used during the arrest."

Blake told The New York Daily News,"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.”

According to The New York Times, law enforcement officials said Mr. Blake was released from custody on Wednesday after a retired police officer recognized him.

The New York Times reports that the real suspects in the credit card fraud have been taken into custody. They have been identified as British citizens and are being held on $50,000 bail and been forced to surrender their passports."

The officer involved in this case identified as James Frascatore has been placed on administrative duties pending an internal investigation.

Written by

Kanika Lal

Kanika Lal moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career as a host, writer, and producer. She currently works for Ora TV’s NewsBreaker where she constantly keeps up with the latest stories, writes, and broadcasts them from Ora studios. Kanika began her love for journalism at The Hollywood Reporter as a digital news producer and red carpet correspondent. She had the honor of interviewing Anderson Cooper, John Mayer, Cate Blanchett, and covered the 71st Annual Golden Globes. After a rewarding and solid year, she then took her skills a step closer to her passion: hosting. You can catch her recapping television shows under Maria Menounos’ AfterBuzz TV as well as hosting and producing a Bollywood show for Menounos’ Popcorn Talk network. Kanika thrives on self-expression, and she achieves that through Indian classical and contemporary dance as well as hip-hop. She also has small but growing acting credits under her name, as she strives to branch out creatively. Kanika thrives on discovering hidden stories and engaging with a variety of people. She hopes to have an influence in the world of arts, pop culture, politics, and science.

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