Retired Tennis Pro James Blake Gets Tackled And Mistaken For Suspect By NYPD, Says Excessive Force Was Unnecessary

Former tennis pro James Blake is in New York City for the U.S. Open but on Wednesday, he got a little more than he bargained for. The New York Daily News has reported that he got slammed to the ground by the NYPD right outside of his hotel in a case of mistaken identity.

There was not just one police officer who nabbed Blake, but five of them in plain clothes who obviously had mistaken him for being the operator of an identity-theft ring. He was handcuffed and supposedly slammed to the ground as he was on his way to the grand slam tennis tournament in Flushing Meadows, New York.

James apparently had just come out of his hotel when he was approached by a white police officer who ran up to him and without any warning, threw him to the ground, and four other officers joined in. The first officer who nabbed the retired tennis player did not have a badge that was visible, according to Blake.

“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.”

He was apparently identified by a couple of witnesses as a suspect in the theft ring. James had just arrived in town that same day and was heading to the U.S. Open when the first officer just charged him. According to the Washington Post, he suffered from bruises on his left leg and a cut on his elbow.

With the recent racial profiling issues and reports of police brutality, James Blake did not come right out and say that this was a definite race issue. He commented on how he was treated and that this incident was totally wrong for anyone, regardless of what color their skin is.

“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.”

For now, Blake said that he is waiting for an apology and he wants to see the officers who mishandled him reprimanded appropriately. He chose to make this incident public in order to bring excessive police force to light, which he says is totally unnecessary. The NYPD has remained silent so far.

James Blake retired from tennis in 2013, and was at one time ranked number four in the world. He has since spent his time with his wife and kids, and also is known for helping to raise money for various charities. He is scheduled to run in the New York City marathon this November.

[Photo courtesy of Maddie Meyer/Getty Images]