LiAngelo Ball, UCLA Teammates Return to US After Police Probe on Alleged Shoplifting in China; Slammed With Indefinite Suspension
LiAngelo Ball and two other basketball players from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) arrived in the United States after going through a police investigation in China following an alleged shoplifting incident.
Ball and teammates Cody Riley and Jalen Hill -- all UCLA freshmen and part of the basketball team -- were allowed to fly back to the United States on Tuesday after being arrested and detained in their hotel.
The three were allegedly caught stealing sunglasses from a Louis Vuitton store. ESPN said it had a source who claimed that the three players were also seen in security video footage shoplifting from two more stores located inside an upscale shopping mall in China.
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They were allowed to leave China after U.S. President Donald Trump negotiated with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
While in the Philippines, Trump revealed that the case of Ball, Riley, and Hill was being processed and said Xi had "been terrific" during their talks. However, the U.S. president noted that it was "not a good subject" and added: "That was not something that should have happened."
Trump and Xi talked during his recent trip to Beijing before he went on to Vietnam. He then attended the 31st Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit held in Manila, Philippines, earlier this week.
Later, Trump tweeted about the UCLA players and asked his social media followers if they would even thank him. He added that the three were supposed to serve up to 10 years of jail time in China.
Meanwhile, during a Wednesday press conference, the three UCLA players thanked President Trump for negotiating with Xi for their immediate release.
"I take full responsibility for the mistakes I have made, shoplifting," Riley told the media. "I know that this goes beyond me letting my school down. I let the entire country down."
It was recently reported by Thuc Nhi Nguyen of the Southern California News Group that despite Ball, Riley, and Hill admitting they were guilty of the shoplifting allegations, the charges against them have since been withdrawn.
However, they still had to face disciplinary actions from the UCLA officials. And according to UCLA head coach Steve Alford's announcement, all three players have been "suspended indefinitely."
