UCLA basketball players accused of shoplifting in China return to U.S.

LOS ANGELES -- Three UCLA basketball players accused of shoplifting in China have returned to Los Angeles, CBS Los Angeles reports. 

Pac-12 conference officials confirmed earlier that freshmen LiAngelo Ball, Jalen Hill and Cody Riley are on a flight back home to Los Angeles, and that the matter "has been resolved to the satisfaction of the Chinese authorities."

The three players returned to a media frenzy at around 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The development comes just hours after President Trump told reporters he had a long conversation on the matter with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

"They're working on it right now," Mr. Trump told reporters in the Philippines as he prepared to return to Washington after a nearly two-week visit to Asia that included an earlier stop in Beijing.

"We are all very pleased that these young men have been allowed to return home to their families and university," the Pac-12 statement said. "We are grateful for the role that our Chinese hosts played, and for the courtesy and professionalism of the local authorities. We also want to acknowledge UCLA's significant efforts on behalf of their student-athletes. Finally we want to thank the President, the White House and the U.S. State Department for their efforts toward resolution."  

In:
• China
• UCLA