Former US tennis star James Blake has met New York’s mayor and police chief at City Hall after being thrown to the ground by a policeman and mistakenly arrested.
Mr Blake, 35, said he agreed with mayor Bill de Blasio and police commissioner William Bratton that there had to be “accountability” and lasting change in policing attitudes.
The former world No 4 said Mr de Blasio “spoke very clearly in there about not just making short-term changes”.
Mr Blake was wrongly identified, by a witness, as being part of a scheme to sell fraudulently bought goods. He was tackled by plainclothes officer James Frascatore and handcuffed on September 9. Mr Frascatore, who was placed on desk duty, has been with the New York Police Department for four years and has been named in several civil rights lawsuits alleging excessive force. The Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association said Mr Frascatore did a professional job of bringing Mr Blake to the ground but Mr de Blasio and Mr Bratton apologised to the tennis player after watching CCTV of the arrest.
Mr Blake had called for the officer to be sacked but after the meeting said he had faith in the legal process.
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