NY cop, O’side resident, under investigation

Oceanside resident and New York City Police officer James Frascatore has been accused of using excessive force on retired tennis player James Blake.

On Sept. 9, Blake, who is biracial, was standing outside the Grand Hyatt hotel in Midtown Manhattan, getting ready to attend the US Open, when Frascatore tackled him to the grown, believing him to be the suspect in a credit card fraud case. He was in plainclothes at the time.

The New York City Police Department released a surveillance video that shows Frascatore body-slamming Blake as he stood outside his hotel, wrestling him to the ground and handcuffing him. Blake suffered a cut to his left elbow and bruises to his left leg.

Blake was released after he had been handcuffed for 15 minutes and an officer confirmed his identity. He said the officers did not identify themselves.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton have called Blake to apologize.

“I greatly appreciate those gestures,” Blake said in a statement. “But extending courtesy to a public figure mistreated by the police is not enough. As I told the Commissioner, I am determined to use my voice to turn this unfortunate incident into a catalyst for change in the relationship between the police and the public they serve.

The NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau has been investigating the incident. Frascatore has been placed on desk duty in the meantime. Blake has called for him to be fired. There have been four complaints against Frascatore in his four years with the NYPD.