Retired tennis star James Blake, who was slammed to the ground this week by an undercover New York City police officer in a controversial case of mistaken identity, said the cop "doesn't deserve to ever have a badge and a gun again," reports the New York Daily News.
Reportedly mistaken for a man wanted in a credit card scam, Blake, 35, on Wednesday was thrust to the ground by Officer James Frascatore. Blake, who was headed to the U.S. Open, was waiting for a car outside his midtown-Manhattan hotel, the Grand Hyatt, when the incident occurred.
“I want him to know what he did was wrong, and that in my opinion he doesn’t deserve to ever have a badge and a gun again, because he doesn’t know how to handle that responsibility effectively,” Blake told the Daily News. “He doesn’t deserve to have the same title as officers who are doing good work and are really helping keep the rest of the city safe.”
Blake told the News that he has spoken to his lawyers about potentially filing a lawsuit against the city. Meanwhile, Frascatore has been stripped of his gun and badge during an internal probe of the incident. It's not the first time the officer has faced such charges. Frascatore reportedly has been sued four times on charges of excessive force, The Root previously reported.
“Even if I was the suspect, this isn’t the way to treat anyone, no matter what,” Blake told the News Saturday in an interview at the Waldorf Astoria hotel.
Blake told the News that he wants to see “real change in the form of policies, accountability, making sure all the police force is held accountable for their actions.”
Read more at the New York Daily News.