Mac Etienne was arrested and cited for assault with intent to injure, insult, or provoke after the Thursday incident.
An incident between a member of the UCLA men’s basketball team and fans led to the player’s arrest on Thursday—and it’s far from the only interaction between a player and fans that turned ugly. Other leagues, including the NBA, NFL, MLB and UFC, are not without their share of hostile altercations between athletes and fans. Whether it’s because the crowd got caught up in the moment or due to the intensity of the competition, there’s plenty that the leagues would love to forget. From all-out brawls to some choice insults—and even snowballs—sports can get messy. UCLA Player Arrested for Allegedly Spitting Into Crowd UCLA Bruins freshman forward Mac Etienne was arrested following the team’s Thursday night loss against the University of Arizona after he appeared to spit at Arizona fans. A video taken as the Bruins walked off the court following their 76-66 loss shows Etienne appearing to spit in the direction of the crowd as they mockingly wave goodbye to the team. Soon after returning to UCLA’s locker room, Etienne was placed under arrest and cited for assault with “the intent to injure, provoke or insult” another individual, police said in a statement posted to social media. At this time, it’s unclear what may have been said or done between the fans and Etienne before the alleged spitting incident. He was cited and released and not placed in handcuffs, the public information officer for University of Arizona police told ESPN. In response to Etienne’s arrest, a UCLA athletic department spokesperson released the following statement: “UCLA Athletics is committed to and expects the highest level of sportsmanship.
