A Florida pickleball match allegedly turned into a bloody scene after a mom became furious over another player’s comments about her son’s game.
Michele Bannister, 47, is accused of hitting a male opponent in the head multiple times with her pickleball paddle during a May 31 match at Treaty Park in St. Augustine, Florida, according to an affidavit obtained by Law&Crime.
What started as a disagreement over retrieving a ball allegedly spiraled after the match ended. Authorities said the man approached Bannister’s son and criticized the way he had been playing.
That is when Bannister allegedly stepped in.
Investigators said Bannister, who works as a family nurse practitioner, struck the man with her paddle, leaving him with several bloody cuts to his face.
Bannister later told authorities she was defending her son, but investigators said they found no immediate threat that would justify the alleged attack, according to the affidavit.
One nearby player, Pam Hatch, who is known locally as “Pickleball Pam,” said she rushed over to help the injured man after the confrontation.
“She probably got in six good whacks with the side of the paddle,” Hatch told Action News JAX.
Hatch said the scene was messy and frightening as she helped the injured player.
“There was blood kind of all over the place,” she told the outlet. “I was helping the victim ring out the towel because it was a bloody mess.”
When deputies arrived, Bannister allegedly gave them a fake name, identifying herself as “Aiyanna Lei,” according to the affidavit.
Authorities said they later figured out who she really was after she provided her home address.
Bannister has pleaded not guilty to aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and giving false identification to law enforcement.
Her attorney, Rosemarie Peoples, is pushing back on the accusations and says Bannister was only trying to protect her child.
“Michele Bannister is a mom, nurse, and model citizen,” Peoples told St. Johns Citizen.
“She is wrongly accused of a crime; her actions were needed to stop a violent attempt to attack her young son,” the attorney said.
Bannister was released after posting an $8,000 bond.
She is due back in court on July 28.
