LOS ANGELES: Three US college basketball players detained in China for shoplifting publicly apologised on Wednesday (Nov 15) and thanked President Donald Trump for helping secure their release. Trump had personally asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to intervene to free UCLA’s LiAngelo Ball – the younger brother of Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES: Three US college basketball players detained in China for shoplifting publicly apologised on Wednesday (Nov 15) and thanked President Donald Trump for helping secure their release.
Trump had personally asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to intervene to free UCLA’s LiAngelo Ball – the younger brother of Los Angeles Lakers rookie star Lonzo Ball – and teammates Cody Riley and Jalen Hill, who were arrested last Tuesday in Hangzhou.
The trio were held on suspicion of stealing from a Louis Vuitton store and later freed on bail but ordered to remain in the picturesque Chinese city.
Shoplifting can bring jail time in China depending on the value of the goods.
On Wednesday, all three admitted their guilt at a news conference in Los Angeles, one day after returning home.
“I take full responsibilities for the mistake that I made, shoplifting. I know that this goes beyond me letting my school down but I let the entire country down,” said Riley.
