By Police1 Staff
NEW YORK – The officer at the center of an arrest incident that garnered national attention has filed a defamation lawsuit.
According to the Washington Post, Officer James Frascatore filed a lawsuit Tuesday against tennis star James Blake, the city of New York, the NYPD and the NYPD’s Civilian Complaint Review Board.
Frascatore was seen on video taking down and arresting Blake outside of a hotel in 2015. Police were investigating a fraud case at the time and Frascatore says he believed Blake matched the description of the suspect. Blake was released around 10-15 minutes later when police realized their mistake.
Blake spoke out in the wake of the incident, calling for Frascatore’s termination and accusing him of excessive force. He also published a book earlier this year that includes a description of the incident.
The city and department later apologized to Blake.
In the lawsuit, Frascatore accuses Blake of casting the officer “as a racist and a goon.” He also accuses the city of scapegoating him as a racist.
Frascatore is still on modified duty with the NYPD, according to the report.
“I have a family to go home to. I’m on a crowded sidewalk, with a possibly armed suspect in the middle of 42nd Street,’’ Frascatore told the NY Post. “You have to take control of the situation. I can’t just be pulling out my gun. People need to realize that, with the information I had at the time and the circumstances that presented themselves, it was the right call.”
Frascatore has previously been named in several civil rights lawsuits and civilian complaints, according to the Associated Press.