Report: UCLA players stole from three stores in China, will not fly back with team
There is no doubt about it — the three UCLA players screwed up big time. And now the players may be facing additional charges.
UCLA Bruins freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill were arrested earlier this week on shoplifting charges in China, where their team spent the week prior to Saturday’s opener against Georgia Tech.
But things have gotten worse.
ESPN’s Arash Markazi reports that there is surveillance footage of the players shoplifting from three stores inside a shopping center in Hangzhou.
A source familiar with the investigation says there is surveillance footage of the players shoplifting from three stores inside of a high-end shopping center next to the team’s hotel in Hangzhou, which includes Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Salvatore Ferragamo.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) November 11, 2017
Initial reports said they shoplifted from one store.
The situation is bad enough where the three players will not fly back to the U.S. with the rest of their team. They could remain in China for a week or two.
LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill will remain in Hangzhou and not be on the UCLA team flight back to Los Angeles on Saturday night, multiple sources tell ESPN. They could be in Hangzhou for "a week or two" according to another source familiar with the investigation.
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) November 11, 2017
The Bruins players are currently under a version of house arrest where they are mostly limited to staying around the team hotel until the matter is sorted out.
The accusations are a huge embarrassment for the players, their families and the university. Even former Bruin Bill Walton ripped them on national TV for what they had done.
