Report: LiAngelo Ball Among Three UCLA Players Arrested For Shoplifting in China
LiAngelo Ball was one of three UCLA players who were arrested in China for shoplifting, Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com reports.
Along with Ball, fellow freshmen Cody Riley and Jalen Hill were also arrested and being questioned about stealing from a Louis Vuitton store, according to Goodman.
The Bruins are in China for their season opener against Georgia Tech, which will be played Friday in Shanghai.
"We are aware of a situation involving UCLA student-athletes in Hangzhou, China," UCLA said in a statement according to ESPN. "The University is cooperating fully with local authorities on this matter, and we have no further comment at this time."
Goodman reports that around 20 police officers came to the Hyatt Regency Hangzhou around 8 a.m. local time Tuesday to speak with Georgia Tech and UCLA players. He adds that players from both teams were kept in a room for hours and not allowed to talk with their coaches.
According to Goodman, Ball, Hill and Riley were seen getting into a police vehicle around 1 p.m. local time. Additionally, Goodman reports that LaVar Ball previously told ESPN he would be traveling to China for the game, but neither LaVar or UCLA coach Steve Alford has returned Goodman's calls or texts.
Ken Sugiura of the Atlanta Journal-Constitutionreported police inspected the UCLA team bus as players were waiting to go to practice and searched the cargo department. After the search, the players were taken off the bus and returned to the Hyatt Regency Hangzhou where both teams were staying, according to the AJC.
Sophomore Justin Moore and freshmen Jose Alvarado and Jon Brown were the Georgia Tech players also questioned by police, but it was determined they were not involved in the activities being investigated, according to a statement from Georgia Tech obtained by the AJC.
