James Blake mistakenly arrested by NY cops as Mayor Bill de Blasio apologizes

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The man was wanted for alleged credit card fraud at the Grand Hyatt hotel
Blake was outside the hotel on Wednesday when an undercover officer tackled him to the ground and handcuffed him
NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton described the suspect as Blake's 'twin' and maintained the mishap had nothing to do with race
The cop who arrested Blake, James Frascatore, has been put on desk duty
Frascatore reportedly did not file a report about the incident to cover it up
In an interview with Good Morning America on Thursday, James Blake said he still hadn't received an apology from the cop who tackled him
Hours later Bratton said he and Mayor Bill de Blasio had been trying to get in contact with Blake to apologize because it 'shouldn't have happened'
Blake claims he spent 15 minutes in handcuffs until a group of five white cops realized they arrested the wrong man
Blake, who is African-American, initially that there is 'probably a race factor involved' - but has since backtracked on those statements

By Joel Christie and Ashley Collman For Dailymail.com

Published: 23:50 EST, 10 September 2015 | Updated: 09:57 EST, 11 September 2015

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A photo has surfaced on the man undercover officers were searching for in New York on Wednesday when they mistakenly tackled retired tennis great James Blake, slammed him to the ground and arrested him.

The image shows a man of similar age and appearance to Blake that police say was wanted in a case of credit card fraud at The Grand Hyatt in Manhattan, where Blake was staying.

New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton previously described the suspect - who has not been named - as someone who 'looks like the twin brother of Mr. Blake'.

The photo, first obtained by TMZ on Thursday, emerged as it was claimed that the cop that wrongly nabbed Blake initially tried to cover his wrongdoing by not filing a report about the mishap.

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Pictured: The image on the left is of the man police were hunting in a case of credit card fraud operating out of Manhattan's The Grand Hyatt hotel. Cops mistakenly tackled and arrested retired tennis star James Blake (right), who is of similar age and appearance to the suspect

Usually a fierce defender of his officers, Bratton broke character on Thursday and was quick to offer an apology to Blake.

He said that both he and Mayor Bill de Blasio wished to say sorry.

Cop: NYPD officer James Frascatore has been placed on desk duty after the mishap

'We are very interested in speaking with Mr. Blake... to extend our apology. It should not have happened,' Bratton said, according to NBC News.

He added that the way Blake described being 'body-slammed' to the ground is 'very disturbing' and not the way officers are trained to behave.

The officer who arrested Blake was identified by The New York Daily News as James Frascatore, an NYPD officer of four years.

Frascatore has been put on desk duty while the department conducts an internal investigation, Bratton said.

However according to the newspaper, the only way the department found out about the mishap was by Blake approaching the media, because Frascatore didn't file a report.

This was confirmed by comments made by Bratton.

'My concern is that after the release (of Blake), there’s department protocols that should have been followed but apparently were not,' Bratton said.

'Mr. Blake has made a number of comments to the press.

'That’s how we became aware of the matter.'

'We want to apologize': New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton (left) says he and Mayor Bill de Blasio had been trying to get in contact with Blake to say sorry and that the mishap 'should never have happened'

At the same time, Bratton shut down questions that the rough arrest had anything to do with Blake's African-American ethnicity.

'Sorry, race has nothing at all to do with this,' Bratton said.

'If you look at the photograph of the suspect it looks like the twin brother of Mr. Blake.'

'So let's put that nonsense to rest right now, race has nothing to do with this. We have a witness who identified Mr. Blake as an individual that he had sold a phone to and had been given a false credit card,' he said.

Bratton added that he wants to apologize to Blake, but has been unable to contact him at his hotel.

He not only wants to say sorry, but says officers need to interview Blake to get his version of events for the official record.

That counters claims Blake made earlier in the morning, when he appeared on Good Morning America. Blake said he still hadn't received an apology from the NYPD despite many reporters being able to track down his contact information.

'I'd like an apology, I'd like an explanation,' Blake told GMA's Robin Roberts. 'I think we all need to be held accountable for our actions, even police.'

"It shouldn't have happened': James Blake speaks to the waiting press pack outside his Manhattan hotel Wednesday after being mistaken for a suspect and tackled by the police at the same spot earlier in the day

Shaken up: Former tennis star James Blake says he was tackled by five white NYPD cops on Wednesday who mistook him for an identity-theft suspect

Blake said while he initially didn't want to talk publicly about the arrest, he changed his mind after talking to his wife.

'She said, "What if this happened to me?" Blake recalled to GMA. 'Immediately, I was furious because I thought about what I would be thinking if someone did that to my wife, if someone tackled her in broad daylight, paraded her around in a busy, crowded sidewalk in New York City with handcuffs with her cuffed behind her back, and taking away her dignity.'

Following the incident, Blake told his version of events to the New York Daily News and said that there was 'probably a race factor' in his arrest.

But on GMA Thursday morning, Blake backtracked those comments, saying he believes the issue is the force cops used when they arrested him.

'This was a case of excessive force, you’re not making it about racial profiling,' Roberts asked him.

'No,' Blake responded.

'You just feel it was use of excessive force?' Roberts continued.

'Yeah,' Blake said.

Following the incident on Wednesday, Blake said he chose to share his story because there are so many other victims of police assault that do not have a public platform.

'It's hard to believe this can still be happening,' he told the Daily News.

'It was definitely scary and definitely crazy.'

Blake told the tabloid that he had just finished up an interview with a tennis reporter Wednesday morning when he went outside the Grand Hyatt to catch a car to Flushing Meadows.

He says he was texting when he looked up from his phone and noticed a white man in shorts and a t-shirt begin to charge at him. But at first, he didn't think there was a cause for concern.

'Maybe I'm naïve, but I just assumed it was someone I went to high school with or something who was running at me to give me a big hug, so I smiled at the guy,' Blake told the Daily News.

For his politeness, Blake was rewarded with a tackle to the ground. Once the undercover cop was on top of him on the sidewalk, he was told: 'don't say a word'.

Mistaken identity: The incident happened outside the Grand Hyatt hotel on 42nd Street. Eventually Blake was released and allowed to leave for the U.S. Open

Blake then told the officer that he was going to cooperate but wanted to know what the issue was. The officer, who was not wearing a badge, promised to tell Blake and added that he is in 'safe hands'.

'I don't feel very safe,' Blake allegedly said.

In my mind there's probably a race factor involved, but no matter what there's no reason for anybody to do that do anybody.

Eventually a group of five police officers, all of whom were white, gathered around to make the arrest. Blake says he gave them his ID and U.S. Open pass and says he waited handcuffed for 15 minutes until they figured out that they had made a mistake.

A cooperating witness had allegedly misidentified Blake as a man who had been involved in an identify theft ring operating out of the hotel.

After he was finally released, Blake says that the officer who pushed him to the ground didn't even say sorry. He says he suffered a cut to his left elbow and bruises to his left leg in the accidental arrest. After the arrest, he went to the U.S. Open as planned.

When asked if he thought his race had anything to with his his treatment, Blake said: 'I don't know if it's as simple as that.'

'To me it's as simple as unnecessary police force, no matter what my race is. 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,' he said.

Blake says he would now like an apology from the NYPD and repercussions for the officers involved.

Following the incident, an NYPD spokesman issued a statement to Daily Mail Online, saying: 'Today James Blake was detained by police in midtown Manhattan in regards to an ongoing investigation into fraudulently purchased cell phones, after being misidentified by a cooperating witness. Once Blake was properly identified and found to have no connection to the investigation, he was released from police custody immediately. In regards to the alleged improper use of force, the Police Commissioner directed the internal affairs bureau to investigate.'

Blake was born in Yonkers, New York and was raised in both New York and Connecticut and attended Harvard before dropping out after his sophomore year to turn professional.

He played professionally from 2001 until 2013, and was ranked the fourth best player in the world in 2006. He retired from the sport in August 2013 and now lives in San Diego with his wife and their two daughters.

Last week he announced he would be running in the New York City marathon to raise money for cancer research.