INDIAN WELLS, California—American player Mashona Washington was arrested on Monday in Indian Wells, California.
Washington and her doubles partner Bethanie Mattek lost today to Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Martinez Sanchez. Although the details are vague, Washington was arrested at her hotel, the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort in Indian Wells according to the Desert Sun.
Washington, who was arrested upon suspicion of felony vandalism, has since been released. She is scheduled to be arraigned on May 14.
This article was edited on March 19, 2009
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“…Mashona Washington took a ride on Wednesday after losing her doubles match, but instead of heading to Miami, she went to the local police station.
Washington, who lost today with partner Bethanie Mattek to Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Martinez Sanchez, was arrested later in the day at her hotel, the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort in Indian Wells according to the Desert Sun.
Washington, who was arrested upon suspicion of felony vandalism, has since been released.”
Given the WS contretemps at IW and this, If I were of African-American descent, I wouldn’t get within two parsecs of this tourney.
It makes the WS even more of a collective sage for staying away from this toxic waste site of a tournament.
[...] Mattek-Sands/Washington were also defeated and Washington was apparently arrested after the match. [...]
R. Lapidus, I sat courtside for the entire doubles match earlier in the day, and it was pretty evident that Washington was not a happy tennis player. If my memory serves me correctly, she did receive a code violation warning from the chair.
Plus—and I plan to mention this in the next Indian Wells round-up—she was nearly fined for verbal obscenity. She caught herself right before finishing her sentence with a harsh profanity, instead saying out loud that if she kept going, she knew she was going to be fined.
Douglas Robson of USA Today said that Washington was arrested for trashing the hotel. So unless something else comes to light, I don’t see how remotely this could be chalked up to racial discrimination. It was pretty clear just how bad of a mood Washington was in after getting beaten by the Spaniards.
Given the WS contretemps at IW and this, If I were of African-American descent, I wouldn’t get within two parsecs of this tourney.
Should read, “…If I were a player of African-American descent…”
Aeress:”Plus—and I plan to mention this in the next Indian Wells round-up—she was nearly fined for verbal obscenity. She caught herself right before finishing her sentence with a harsh profanity, instead saying out loud that if she kept going, she knew she was going to be fined.
“Douglas Robson of USA Today said that Washington was arrested for trashing the hote”
Since when does throwing a [profane]hissy fit at a match–which more than a few pros, male or female, are guilty of from time to time–morph into a mindset capable of criminal mischief at an adjoining hotel? Much less criminal mischief warranting arrest? And, note my italicized emphasis of the news item.
It’s bad enough that this culminated in arrest. Let’s see if she was even charged with a felony [most mischief charges on the level of a violation and miscemeanor are handled, vis a vis an accused, with a desk appearance ticket/citation, not an arrest]
One can’t help but get the impression that things seem to happen there with certain players. And, for a tournament attempting to get out from under a certain image formed from an eight year old incident that has had lasting consequences, this can’t–and probably won’t– help.
I just read that Mashona Washington is the younger sister of MalaVai Washington…interesting.
I think that racial discrimination is a stretch in this case, but also makes you wonder. Were there any witnesses at the hotel who saw that her room was trashed enough to be arrested? From what I understand, hotel guests are required to pay a fine for trashing their room–not arrested, so I agree with r. lapidus on that.
Since when is it ok for spoilt, misbehaving individuals to go on a rampage and indulge their out-of-control tempers in a spree of criminal damage?
I somehow doubt she would have been arrested if her behavior hadn’t warranted it.
And I don’t care who it is, where they’re from, what color their skin is, whether they’re actors or athletes of anyone else – this kind of behavior is not to be tolerated. This country (the US) has a love affair with celebrity, and frankly the relationship has long since become abusive and unhealthy on both sides. Maybe Mashona Washington is suffering a little bit from an inflated sense of her own celebrity; maybe if she were a little more famous she would have got away with it – but as I said, no-one should be allowed to get away with it.
Trashing a hotel room is a criminal act, and should carry criminal consequences. For everyone, without exception, period.
Well, the Desert Sun story said she was arrested on Monday, not Wednesday.
So someone has their facts wrong.
Stephanie, there appears to be a lot of confusion here at Indian Wells regarding the details.
The Desert Sun first broke the story late last night, not on Monday, so I’m not sure what happened between then and yesterday. If I hear anything new, I will update the story.
Sappphisto,
Well said. Thanks for leaving a comment—it has been awhile!
Sapphisto: “…Since when is it ok for spoilt, misbehaving individuals to go on a rampage and indulge their out-of-control tempers in a spree of criminal damage?
I somehow doubt she would have been arrested if her behavior hadn’t warranted it….”
What makes you so sure, sapphisto? We don’t know all the facts and it appears as if the date of the incident/arrest is in question
Secondly, rockstars and athletes have been trashing hotel rooms since elvis put on his blue suede shoes and there’ve been precious few, if any arrests for the destruction of property–which, basically is one of the acts a criminal mischief charge entails. The same holds true for ordinary citizens, as a matter of fact. This is a question of a equal/unequal treatment and/or the resulting perception of a particular place’s attitudes/actions against particular people, not about your particular preferences in regard to what you perceive as “justice” or not.
Again, not all the facts are in but the bare bones of the matter is Washington was arrested for a charged based upon a “suspicion” of Washington’s having damaged property—a charge normally accorded, in virtually every jurisdiction, a citation to appear in misdemeanor court and, perhaps, on the civil side, a damage suit initiated by the property owner.
MASHONA WASHINGTON is PSYCHO. all of this happened b/c she was jealous over another tennis player who had lost interest in her and had his girlfriend in town for the tournament.
she flipped out when she saw the two of them together in the parking lot and began stalking them and calling the room over and over again. she even claimed she was pregnant by him in order to force him to talk to her.
then SHE KEYED THE GIRLFRIENDS CAR. the cops were in the parking lot I saw the car and heard them talking. they said she was acting psycho. this was on sunday BEFORE she trashed the hotel.
this ***** is nuts and should be locked up.
Good job lapidus calling out what seems to be a disturbing pattern treatment of African American players in “Lynchian Wells” (ha!, I’m so clever!).
It’s funny how the United States is supposed to be the most progressive country in the world, yet you never hear more claims of racial discrimination than here. It is disgusting! If the USTA treats the living legend Zina Garrison like dirt, poor little Mashona doesn’t stand a chance. So sad.
William:“Good job lapidus calling out what seems to be a disturbing pattern treatment of African American players in “Lynchian Wells” (ha!, I’m so clever!)….”
Again, if I were a player of African descent, I wouldn’t touch the tourney at indian Wells with a ten foot pole.
This country has moved farther, faster, than any other in this or any era with regard to dealing with ethnic/tribal/racial differences and past inequities but there are still pockets (wiiide pockets geographically, demographically and culturally) within this nation that are still hidebound. While Tennis still has difficulties despite its recent outreach efforts, you can treble the above comments in regard to Indian Wells.
The way I read it, she was arrested on the Monday.
But the newspaper only got wind of it on the Wednesday. Seems fairly straightforward.
Not like the WTA Tour is going to announce it, lol.
lol that’s true Stephanie, everything is always apple pie and vanilla at the WTA.
who was mashona’s love interest anyway