Hundreds of {dollars} in gear misplaced after arsonist torches Santa Monica pickleball court docket

A suspect stays at giant after a pickleball storage shed in Santa Monica was set on hearth, destroying hundreds of {dollars} value of apparatus.

The hearth erupted Monday night time at Memorial Park round 1 a.m. The storage shed housed pickleball gear together with nets, paddles, balls and extra. A close-by fence was additionally broken from the blaze.

Boasting over 1,800 members, the Santa Monica Pickleball Membership is a nonprofit group created to permit the general public to play the game totally free.

Metropolis staff can rework an present commonplace tennis court docket into 4 pickleball courts, permitting as much as 16 individuals to play at one time.

Neighborhood members are distraught over the focused assault and need the arsonist to be caught earlier than they strike once more. Authorities are investigating the case as a suspected arson.

“It’s nonetheless topic to an open investigation, however it could be a reasonably far attain to name it something however arson,” mentioned Maryanne LaGuardia from the Santa Monica Recreation and Parks Fee.

Common gamers who benefit from the courts are questioning who would do one thing so harmful to an gear shed. 

“It simply makes you marvel who would do it and what their intentions are,” mentioned Felix Liu, a neighborhood pickleball participant. “Do they not like pickleball?”

“Simply messaging with a few of my pals who play right here, they simply can’t consider what occurred,” mentioned Alley Liang, a neighborhood resident. “Who would do such a factor?”

The incident might reveal a darker facet to the game, involving the underlying tensions between totally different teams, some consider.

“Some individuals don’t just like the pickleball group for a number of causes,” mentioned Lynn Soodik from the Santa Monica Pickleball Membership. “Tennis instructors now don’t give as many classes at Memorial as they used to. Tennis gamers have much less entry. Additionally, there are some non-public pickleball gamers who don’t just like the membership as a result of we offer public play for everyone.”

Though the suspect stays at giant, the Santa Monica pickleball group is slowly rebuilding amid the destruction. Donations from native gamers will hopefully substitute all of the gear that was misplaced within the hearth.

The investigation stays ongoing. Anybody with data is requested to contact Santa Monica Police or the Santa Monica Fireplace Division.