3 UCLA Players Arrested On Shoplifting Charges In China
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Three members of the UCLA men's basketball team, including LiAngelo Ball -- the younger brother of Los Angeles Lakers star Lonzo Ball -- were arrested on shoplifting allegations in China Tuesday.
Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, all freshmen, were arrested on suspicion of shoplifting from a Louis Vuitton store after being questioned for hours by police, sources told ESPN's Jeff Goodman.
The outspoken father of the Ball family LaVar Ball had scheduled a press conference but then cancelled it after being advised not to speak due to the legal nature of the matter.
UCLA said it was "aware of the matter involving UCLA student-athletes and we are gathering more information," according to a statement made earlier Tuesday to Bruin Report Online.
UCLA is scheduled to play Georgia Tech Friday in Shanghai.
Chinese police were called to the hotel where both teams are staying Tuesday morning in Hangzhou, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper reported.
USC professor Stanley Rosen told CBS2 the Chinese justice system is very political and he believes the UCLA players will likely not serve any jail time. President Donald Trump is visiting China this week, and Rosen suspects government officials will not want the incident to overshadow festivities.
