American James Blake, a former professional tennis player, was mistakenly slammed to the ground and detained by NYPD officers on Wednesday. Blake was taken down by five white NYPD officers who were in plain clothes because he was mistaken for a suspect in an identity theft ring happening around his hotel.
Blake was understandably scared, as Wayne Coffey from the New York Daily reports:
The incident occurred around noon in front of the Grand Hyatt on East 42 St., as Blake, a 35-year-old African-American who attended Harvard before going on tour, was waiting for a car to take him to Flushing Meadows, where he was making corporate appearances for Time-Warner Cable.
“It was definitely scary and definitely crazy,” said Blake, who suffered a cut to his left elbow and bruises to his left leg.
The news comes eerily on the same day as Thabo Seflosha requested a full trial to exonerate himself from an incident with the NYPD outside a nightclub where his leg was broken.
During his long career, Blake was one of the most popular players in tennis. He reached as high as No. 4 in the world rankings.
(Via NY Daily News)
