The three UCLA basketball players who were arrested for shoplifting in China last week were on a plane home to Los Angeles Tuesday morning, and it sounds as though the case has reached a resolution.
In a statement, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott confirmed that UCLA freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley were flying home from China and thanked the Chinese authorities for the way they handled the incident.
Statement from Larry Scott about the UCLA situation. Players on flight back home. pic.twitter.com/v2ECpdIeMz
— Tyson Alger (@tysonalger) November 14, 2017
The three freshmen were arrested last Tuesday after surveillance footage reportedly proved that they had stolen items from three high-end stores at a shopping center in Hangzhou. Shoplifting is a serious offense in China and can result in up to 10 years in prison. The players had been on a version of house arrest for the past week at the hotel where the team stayed.
As Scott mentioned in his statement, U.S. president Donald Trump spoke with Xi Jinping, his Chinese counterpart, during a two-day stay in China last week. All indications are that the players are going to get a slap on the wrist, though they have already been ripped on national television by one UCLA legend and are likely to face disciplinary action from the university.
