Developing: UCLA Men's Basketball Player Arrested for Assault, Mac Etienne Spits at Arizona Fan
A UCLA men's basketball student-athlete was arrested for assault on Thursday night, a University of Arizona Police Department spokesperson told ABC5 investigative reporter Morgan Loew.
The player was not identified by the spokesperson, and the statement said further details would be provided in the coming days.
The arrest came following a UAPD investigation of an incident that occurred after the Bruins' 76-66 loss to No. 7 Arizona in Tucson on Thursday. The game took place in front of a sold out crowd at the McKale Center, where UCLA ended up losing for the first time since Feb. 12, 2016.
“UCLA Athletics is committed to and expects the highest level of sportsmanship," a UCLA Athletics spokesperson told All Bruins. "We are aware of the incident involving a student-athlete at tonight’s men’s basketball game, and the matter is under review.”
While no player's name was publicly provided by either the UAPD or UCLA Athletics spokesperson, many are connecting the arrest to redshirt freshman forward/center Mac Etienne, who was caught on video spitting in the direction of Arizona fans while leaving the court postgame.
Etienne was yelling to people in the stands and spit multiple times, but it is not yet clear what he said or what was being said to him. Etienne was then guided down the tunnel by a member of the staff.
Coach Mick Cronin was not asked about the incident in his postgame press conference and he did not mention anything regarding Etienne.
Another video, taken while the Bruins were heading back to the locker room for halftime, shows Etienne possibly spitting in the same direction.
Intentionally spitting on someone in the state of Arizona is a class 3 misdemeanor, and is punishable by up to 30 days in prison and/or a $500 fine. According to the Los Angeles Times' Ben Bolch, Etienne was cited by police but not detained, then traveled with the rest of the team to Phoenix.
Etienne tore his right ACL in October and has not played a game for UCLA this season. The New York native joined the Bruins in December 2020, graduating from high school one semester early and enrolling in the university midseason.
As a freshman, Etienne appeared in 13 games, making his collegiate debut against USC on Feb. 6, 2021. The 6-foot-10, 230-pound big man averaged 2.6 points and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 60% from the field from then on out, even appearing in three of the Bruins' NCAA tournament games on their way to the Final Four.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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