The officer who took down James Blake did some things wrong concerning the incident. Applying the force that he did was not among them.
That's what the head of the police union said in a statement obtained by CNN.
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"The apprehension was made under fluid circumstances where the subject might have fled and the officer did a professional job of bringing the individual to the ground to prevent that occurrence," Patrick Lynch said in the statement. "It is truly unfortunate that the arrest was a result of mistaken identity by the complainant in the case and we regret any embarrassment or injury suffered by Mr. Blake as a result."
Former New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, however, told CNN he thought the officer overreacted.
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Current Commissioner William Bratton, who apologized to Blake, reiterated that he did not believe race was a factor in the arrest made by Officer James Frascatore.
"This rush to put a race tag on it, I'm sorry, that's not involved in this at all," Bratton said.
Bratton said the man police were looking for, based on an eyewitness, looked like Blake's twin. TMZ Sports posted the photo it says was the suspect. The two men do bear a notable resemblance.
CNN added that Frascatore is a defendant in two federal lawsuits alleging excessive force in separate incidents earlier.
Frascatore didn't apologize to Blake after the mistake was discovered. Nor did he report the false arrest to his superior officer. It's the former that has Blake upset and speaking out.
He told CNN he believes Frascatore should be fired.
"You've got the badge and [are] supposed to treat that with honor," Blake said. "I don't think he deserves to ever have a badge again."
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