FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Burglars hit tennis star Venus Williams' Florida home, stealing $400,000 worth of goods while she was at the US Open, police said Thursday. The burglary happened between Sept. 1 and 5 at Williams' 10,000-square-foot (1,000-square-meter) home, which is in a well-to-do gated community, Palm Beach Gardens police said in a statement.
Police blacked out from their report what was stolen. No arrests have been made. Palm Beach County property records show Williams and her sister Serena bought the home new in 2000. It is now valued at $2.3 million. Venus Williams' agent, Carlos Fleming, did not respond to an email seeking comment.
The burglary was first reported by WPEC-TV. This is the second time in five months Palm Beach Gardens police did not publicly release information about an incident involving Williams until it was reported by a news outlet. In June, Williams was involved in a traffic accident near her home that killed a passenger in the other car.
Police have said the accident investigation remains open, and she is being sued by the dead man's estate. Palm Beach Gardens police did not issue a news release or the accident report until the website TMZ published a story three weeks after the crash. Maj. Eduardo Guillen said it is not the department's practice to issue news releases about major crimes and fatal traffic accidents involving its residents, something other departments in Florida and nationally do routinely.
"The department is not in the business of randomly releasing information on cases. Ms. Williams is a private citizen within our community and she will be extended the same privacy all our citizens expect," Guillen said in an email to The Associated Press. The suburb of about 54,000 residents is mostly middle class, but has wealthy enclaves.
Williams, 37, has had one of her best recent years on the court, finishing second at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open and reaching the semifinals at the U.S. Open. Williams has seven career Grand Slam titles and career on-court earnings of nearly $40 million.
She has her own clothing line and endorsement deals with Ralph Lauren, Kraft foods, Tide detergent and Wilson sporting goods. She also owns a small percentage of the Miami Dolphins. — AP
