Former professional tennis player James Blake has been mistakenly detained in New York as he waited for a car to take him to the US Open.
James Blake, 35, told the New York Daily News that a group of five plainclothes officers slammed him to the ground and held him for 15 minutes on September 9.
The NYPD said in a statement that the officers mistakenly believed James Blake was a suspect in a theft case.
Once it was determined that James Blake was not the suspect, he was released.
James Blake said he suffered a cut on his arm and bruises on his legs. He said the officers did not speak to him before they pushed him to the ground.
Photo FoxSports
“You’d think they could say: <<Hey, we want to talk to you. We are looking in to something>>,” James Blake told the Daily News.
“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.”
Once No 4 player in the world, James Blake was set to make an appearance at the US Open for the Time-Warner Cable company.
James Blake retired following his US Open exit in 2013 after winning 10 singles titles in a career in which he also became No 1 US player.
Police said a “cooperating witness” mistakenly identified James Blake as being involved in “a ring dealing in fraudulently purchased cell phones”.
James Blake, who is black, said race may have contributed to the incident. All of the officers were white.
However, the former tennis star said his primary concern was with the amount of force used.
“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,” James Blake told the Daily News.
The NYPD said it was investigating whether the officers used excessive force.
The department has recently been involved in a number of high-profile cases involving accusations of police brutality.
Florida police say the family found dead in James Blake’s burned home were shot and killed by their father, Darrin Campbell, who set the house alight before killing himself.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Col. Donna Lusczynski said investigators were looking to determine a motive.
The victims had rented the $1.5 million home from former tennis star James Blake for about two years.
James Blake, 34, was not at the home, located in a wealthy Tampa neighborhood, at the time of the fire.
Darrin Campbell had been an executive for several high-profile companies around the US
Col. Donna Lusczynski said they had not found a suicide note from Darrin Campbell, 49, but investigators had concluded the deaths were a so-called murder-suicide.
His wife, Kimberly Campbell, and their two children were found shot in the head in their respective bedrooms in the home.
Darrin Campbell then scattered fireworks and petrol around the house before setting it ablaze, according to police.
Police said Darrin Campbell had purchased “several” petrol cans and $650 of fireworks days before the fire destroyed their home.
Darrin Campbell had been an executive for several high-profile companies around the US and his wife, Kimberly, was a housewife. Their two children, Colin, 19, and Megan, 15, went to a nearby school,
“This is certainly disturbing,” Donna Lusczynski said, adding the two teenagers were well-liked at their school.
“Anytime something like this happens, it’s a tragedy.”
Firefighters were called on Wednesday morning to the home. Neighbors told police they heard explosions coming from the property.
Kimberly Campbell’s father said earlier the family had been close-knit and successful.
William Weimer, vice-president of Phantom fireworks, confirmed Darrin Campbell had bought fireworks on Sunday, describing them as the kind of fireworks usually set off in back gardens.
Florida police have announced they are not looking for suspects in the case of four bodies found in James Blake’s burned home in Tampa.
The four victims have been identified by relatives as a family who rented the home from tennis star James Blake.
They spent $650 on fireworks days before the fire destroyed their home.
Police officers say they believe the fire was started on purpose but would not say how or who was responsible.
James Blake, 34, was not at the home inside a wealthily Tampa neighborhood at the time of the fire.
He was one of the top-ranked tennis players in the world in 2006, retiring from competition in 2013 after a 14-year career.
James Blake had rented the $1.5 million home in Tampa to the Campbell family for the past two years.
James Blake had rented the $1.5 million home in Tampa to the Campbell family for the past two years
Darrin Campbell had been an executive for several high-profile companies around the US and his wife Kimberly, was a stay-at-home mom. They had two children, Colin, 19, and Megan, 15.
Firefighters were called on Wednesday morning to the home. Neighbors told police they heard explosions coming from the house.
Kimberly Campbell’s father, Gordon Lambie, told the Associated Press news agency the family had been close-knit and successful.
Darrin Campbell had moved to Tampa more than 10 years ago to take a job with a glass container manufacturer, Gordon Lambie said, and held a few additional positions before he had taken the past year off work.
On Thursday, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Col. Donna Lusczynski described the fire as unusual and said there were “various fireworks” throughout the home.
Two victims suffered from upper-body trauma, she added, but did not indicate whom. She also said no weapons had been found.
A spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office said medical exams of the deceased were under way on Thursday.
“We are not looking for any suspects, not at this point in the investigation,” Debbie Carter said.
William Weimer, vice-president of Phantom fireworks, confirmed Darrin Campbell had bought fireworks on Sunday, describing them as the kind of fireworks usually set off in backyards.
He said the fireworks could have started a fire but that it would have spread slowly.
Four people have been found dead in the burned home of former tennis star James Blake in Florida.
The unidentified victims were found by fire fighters early on Wednesday after responding to reports of a blaze.
Four people have been found dead in the burned home of former tennis star James Blake in Florida
James Blake, 34, was not at the $1.5 million home, which was being rented out at the time of the incident.
He was one of the top-ranked tennis players in the world in 2006, retiring from competition in 2013 after a 14-year career.
Emergency crews battled the fire throughout the morning on Wednesday before later extinguishing it.
Two bodies were located earlier in the day, a third later in the morning and a fourth body in the afternoon, according to local media.
Safety concerns regarding the structural integrity of the home have hampered a more detailed search as of yet.
Hillsborough County sheriff’s Corporal Donna Lusczynski told the Tampa Tribune it may be days before the home is safe enough to enter and for medical examiners to identify the victims found inside.
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