A longtime boxing gym in Oakland is shutting its door after a stolen car drove into its building on New Year’s Day.
The owner for Lightning’s Boxing Club said police told him the driver of the suspected stolen car hit another car, sending two people to the hospital, then crashed into the gym’s front door.
It is estimated to cost $50,000 to $100,000 to get Lightning’s Boxing Club back open, owner Kris Lopez said.
Since 2009, the boxing club has served as a community center and trained fighters, including Lopez’s son, pro-prospect David Lopez. A GoFundMe campaign, which aims pay staff and get the gym back open as soon as possible, has garnered nearly $4,000 in one day.
“I just want to keep the boxers going,” Lopez said. “We have a nationally ranked amateur boxer, and of course my son and all the other kids who need this place to participate in something positive than the stuff that is out there.”
While repairs are underway, the boxing club will relocate to Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, a historic Oakland nightclub and event space in Oakland’s Black Arts and Business District in downtown.
Police are still searching for the driver responsible in the crash.