Twins? NYPD Used Photo of Australian Designer for James Blake Arrest, Not Alleged Identity Thief
The controversy surrounding NYPD officers' violent apprehension of black tennis veteran James Blake in a case of mistaken identity has taken a darker turn. First came the revelation that James Frascatore, the cop who bodyslammed Blake to the ground outside his hotel, has a history of alleged brutality and racist treatment complaints. Now, new evidence revealed by activist and Daily Kos writer Shaun King adds another bizzare twist to the story.
According to King, the photo that the NYPD used to identify Blake—the one NYPD Comissioner Bill Bratton claimed pictured a man who looked like Blake's "twin"—was actually of respected Australian apparel designer Sean Satha:
Except, we now know the man they thought they were looking for had nothing to do with the identity theft at all. His name is Sean Satha and he is an Australian sunglass designer working for a popular company called Local Supply. Not only did Sean Satha have nothing to do with the identity theft, he wasn't even on the continent when the NYPD was armed with his photo and began looking for him in a midtown Manhattan hotel lobby.
(H/t Daily Kos, New York Post, Slate)