Former American tennis player, James Blake was reportedly forced to the ground and handcuffed by the New York Police Department (NYPD) after he was mistakenly recognized to be a suspect in a theft case.

It happened so when Blake, 35, was waiting for a car to attend the US Open Tennis Championships when five police officers – dressed in civil – erroneously comprehended Blake’s identity and was forced to the ground before being handcuffed.

Blake, later on, divulged that the incident was very “scary” and “crazy” as it took the cops 15 minutes to figure out their slip-up, as per a report by the Daily Mail.

The NYPD Commissioner, Bill Bratton, expressed regret over the episode, saying: “It’s very disturbing. The nature of what he described is not what we do; it’s not what we’re supposed to do.”

Blake, a New York-born Connecticut-resident, won 10 titles on the men’s tour and was ranked as high as number four during his 14-year career.