A Florida couple are facing felony charges after a Sunday morning pickleball game allegedly descended into a huge brawl.
Cops were called to reports of a physical fight involving more than 20 people at Spruce Creek Country Club in Port Orange on February 8.
Obscenities were hurled, one person was hospitalized and even the fire department was in attendance when the chaotic scene unfolded at around 11 a.m, cops say.
An affidavit from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office obtained by The Independent states that one victim was left with “permanent scarring” after being hit.
Anthony Sapienza, 63, and his wife Julianne, 51, were arrested following the altercation and taken into police custody.
According to authorities, it all started when Anthony Sapienza accused his opponents of stepping into an area of the court where people are banned from volleying the ball, known as the “kitchen.” He used foul language to insult his opponent’s wife, the affidavit says.
Police claim he “approached [the opposing player] and punched him on the left side of the face and struck him with a pickleball paddle, causing significant bleeding.”
The victim was taken to hospital for treatment after receiving a laceration by his eye and is pursuing charges.
Authorities say Anthony Sapienza also pushed his opponent’s wife to the ground when she attempted to help her husband, and punched a 70-year-old onlooker in the face when he tried to break up the fight, resulting in his nose bleeding “profusely.”
Multiple witnesses spoke to police, per the affidavit, stating that they observed the verbal insults and the physical altercation including the paddle strike and punching.
The Sapienzas are accused of fleeing the scene, with police tracking them down to their residence in the nearby town of Ponce Inlet.
Anthony Sapienza is facing charges of aggravated battery causing bodily harm and battery on a person 65 or older. His wife is facing one count of battery on a person 65 or older. The couple’s charges are classed as felonies in the state of Florida.
Penalties for aggravated battery include up to 15 years of prison time and up to $10,000 in fines.
