Eastern Michigan Star Emoni Bates Arrested on Gun Charges

Eastern Michigan star wing Emoni Bates was arrested during a routine traffic stop Sunday night in Washtenaw County, Mich. 

Bates is facing two felony gun charges.

A Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told Sports Illustrated that Bates was pulled over at 10:43 p.m. local time on Sunday as deputies initiated a traffic stop after Bates failed to stop at the intersection of Nottingham and Clark roads. During the investigation, a gun was discovered in the car and the 18-year-old Bates was taken into custody.

Per online court records, Bates is charged with carrying a concealed weapon and altering ID marks on a firearm. Both charges are felonies.

Bates was arraigned at 1 p.m. Monday in Washtenaw County court, and the judge agreed to a non-monetary personal recognizance bond for Bates to be immediately released from jail, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. 

Steve Haney, the attorney representing Bates in the case, entered a not-guilty plea on behalf of the basketball star. The next court date for Bates is Oct. 6.

Additionally, Haney told Thamel to “reserve judgment on this. There’s way more to the story. He borrowed someone’s car, was pulled over and a gun was located in the car.”

Brendan Quinn of The Athletic obtained a statement from Eastern Michigan in regard to Bates’s arrest.

“We are aware of a situation involving one of our student-athletes. Eastern Michigan University takes all allegations very seriously. We are working to gather more details and will have further comment when more information is available.”

Bates was one of the top basketball recruits in the country in the 2021 class. He spent his freshman season at Memphis, where he averaged 9.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 18 appearances, which included 13 starts. 

Bates elected to enter the transfer portal after one season with the Tigers and in August committed to Eastern Michigan, where he was expected to play a major role in the upcoming college basketball season.